Beta Off Not Dating: „The lovely 😍 Mr. K. … β Ω“

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Who is the lovely Mr. K. in Beta Off Not Dating? The answer seems to be quite simple, right? Anyone will reply that it’s Kim Juhyeok, the protagonist. Yes, it is correct, but actually there exists another Mister K. who plays an important role in this story. 😮 That’s the reason why this analysis is about these two characters. First, I would like to add new observations about Kim Juhyeok. In the composition „I‘m a beta“, I had tried to explain why the main lead was refusing to date anyone. However, since then, the author gave us more clues about his reasons, while confirming my previous interpretation too. Then in the second part, I will reveal the identity of the second lovely Mister K. and his role.

1. Kim Juhyeok β: A normal life

1. 1. The gorilla and love

What caught my attention is this quote from the cute figure (chapter 16) What does he mean with this statement? In order to grasp his words, it is necessary to contextualize his assertion. In that scene, the main lead was mentioning his sister Kim Juyeong and her poor health. (Chapter 16) It is clear that he loves her a lot, though he calls her gorilla and doesn’t consider her as adorable. (Chapter 16) The reason for such a description is actually to mask his affection. For me, he has always tried to diminish his love for her through words, while in reality he is spoiling her. Why? It‘s his attempt to protect his heart, because he has always been scared to lose her. (Chapter 16) The hand on his gaze was not random. He wished to hide his vulnerability, heartache and anxieties. As the manhwalovers can detect, the main character has long associated love to fear and pain. (Chapter 16) Thus I am deducing that he wishes to keep his distance from people in order to protect himself and his heart. He doesn’t want to go through agony and the loss of a loved one, his future companion. Under this new light, the manhwaphiles understand the signification of a normal life for Kim Juhyeok. It is a life without pain, but it also implies the absence of human interaction. This coincides with his wish to leave South Korea. By leaving everything behind, he also cuts off ties with his family and friends. Striking is that when the artist wrote his statement, she used a lot of colorful bubbles, but she ended his confession with a white zone. (Chapter 16) For me, the panel has a metaphorical meaning. His definition of a normal life is like death. There is no emotion at all and as such no event. By avoiding love and people, Kim Juhyeok is actually burying himself alive. Therefore it is not surprising that his dream is to go to a sunny place. Hence it is not random that the main character is often put in painful but comical situations. It forces him to become emotional and to interact with others. At the same time, it is to confront him with his bias and prejudices. Since he views omegas and alphas as „categories“, his punishment is to be mistaken for an alpha or an omega. (Chapter 6) That way, he is encouraged to question his knowledge and perception about humans.

1. 2. Seol Gido and norms

But this doesn‘t end here. Normal life implies the existence of social norms. This means that Kim Juhyeok doesn‘t want to create a ruckus or scandal. He wants to move within social standards. This brings me to the following observation. The young man seems to have trouble to accept homosexuality. Yes, you are reading it correctly. For him, only a relationship between two men is acceptable, as long as they are an alpha and omega. Since such a couple can conceive, it is accepted among the population. However, a male beta with an male omega or alpha can not have a child together, hence it looks like a violation of nature and indirectly of social norms. And we have the proof of this interpretation in chapter 20. Why did he feel the need to point out their gender to his friend? (Chapter 20) It is because he viewed it as an exception, as something unusual. Let’s not forget that he informed himself about alpha and omega through books and videos. (Chapter 1) Nonetheless, there is a certain danger by such a research. Since the books and movies are only focusing on the relationship between omegas and alphas, society is somehow occulting the interactions between betas and the other categories. Sexuality between a beta and an alpha or omega is neglected. For it is not studied or even brought up, it is not considered as a norm, rather as an anomaly. On the other hand, it becomes quite clear that Kim Juhyeok has always been attracted to men, just like he caught the attention of men, (chapter 19) and in particular alphas or omegas felt enamored by the protagonist.

And that’s where his friend Seol Gido comes in. He played a huge role in the birth of this terrible mind-set. (Chapter 20) When the protagonist detected an attraction with someone, Seol Gido deceived his friend by letting him believe that he was delusional. Imagination implies the disregard for normality. Creativity stands for exception which is an antonym for norms. Because of his lies and his ignorance, Kim Juhyeok came to internalize that a relationship between an alpha and beta can only exist as a friendship. However, there is no ambiguity that Seol Gido was marking his friend as his possession. Thus he spreads his pheromones on him while giving the fake excuse that he was just drunk.

Furthermore, I am even suspecting that the actor is the one who has a problem with such a relationship. Why do I think so? In the restaurant, the main lead admitted that this decision not to date anyone was not his idea. (chapter 20) Secondly, the actor keeps reminding the main lead of his „decision“. (chapter 20) He was stating it as a fact, yet contrary to the past, Juhyeok felt the need to make a rectification. In addition, when the protagonist narrated to his friend that he had received two confessions, the alpha thought that the two persons must have been betas. (chapter 20) Why? It is because for Seol Gido no alpha or omega would ever confess to a beta directly. He was totally relaxed, when he heard about it first. He was smiling with closed eyes, a sign that he never suspected a danger. However, this changed immediately, when he discovered the identity of the rivals: an alpha and omega. The nature of his gaze switched instantly. That’s the reason why the main lead had to defend himself. (chapter 20) He had already experienced such a stare. Observe that Seol Gido had to state that his friend would not date an alpha or an omega. It was, as if he was giving him an order. Furthermore, from alpha or omega it became anyone! (chapter 20) I believe that the actor already knows about his friend’s attraction for alphas and omegas. He is well aware that Kim Juhyeok will never date a beta, and since he is not allowed to be with an alpha or omega, this signifies that he should end up alone. Finally, the authors and artist left in this panel another clue that for Seol Gido a relationship between a beta and omega is a taboo: (chapter 20) Why is the actor covered by the white? It is because he embodies the values Kim Juhyeok is advocating. However, there is no ambiguity that the alpha is interested and even attracted to Kim Juhyeok! Let’s not forget that Seol Gido is an actor, and as such his success is based on his fame and reputation. Secondly, in the k-dramas he is acting as an alpha falling in love with omegas! From my point of view, he has somehow internalized such values and fears that if he were the main lead’s partner, his career could suffer. That’s the reason why I am assuming that the departure to a foreign country is also influenced by his friend. No one would pay attention to the actor Seol Gido abroad.

But like I had mentioned in my previous analysis, the main character is a huge romantic! He believes in fated love (chapter 20) which explains why he is not rejecting Lee Sihyeon, Seol Gido or Ha Weonyi as friends. Friendship stands in opposition to destiny and fated love. However, in the last image, the character was imagining Lee Sihyeon’s reaction, when he would see his “loved one” disregarding dress code. This vision pained him a lot… And my readers can already sense the importance of social norms in this dream. He thought that the director would come to reject him, for he had caused a ruckus with his strange attire. But what the main lead doesn’t realize is that director Lee is someone who doesn’t fear social norms! He likes the protagonist for his extraordinary behavior. He didn’t mind being seen courting the beta. Thus the whole office knows about his affection for Juhyeok. The latter is confident, but also naïve, thus he makes the boss laugh. He embodies exception and rarity, because betas are supposed to represent the norm and normality. Consequently, I deduce that the meeting between Lee Sihyeon and Seol Gido will serve as a huge wake-up call for the actor. He thought, he could mislead his friend, while waiting for the right time to confess to him. In my eyes, the actor wanted him to wait for his departure and seclusion before making a move on him. He didn’t want to jeopardize his life in the end. And this contrasts so much to the main lead’s vision. No matter what, they will end up together. And the moment, the beta discovers the truth, he can only reply that their love was not fated. But actually, the actor has another rival, and he is not even aware of his influence and existence, the second Mister K.

2. The strong omega Ω: Mister Kang

Mister Kang is the main lead’s coworker. They sit next to each other. (chapter 4) Mister Kang is an omega (chapter 2) who already has a partner. He represents the biggest threat to the alpha actor, for he embodies the opposite values. He stands for honesty and open-mindedness. He doesn’t view people based on their “sex” (chapter 18), he treats them all equally, for in his eyes, they are all human beings.

This explicates why the lovely omega was the one revealing to Kim Juhyeok that director Lee had feelings for him. (chapter 4), whereas the friend did the exact opposite by denying the existence of crushes. Till episode 4, the main character had no clue why his boss would visit him each morning and put his hand on his shoulder. (chapter 1) That’s how clueless the main lead was. But we shouldn’t overlook that his perception had been manipulated by his friend alpha for years. But there is more to it. When the alpha Lee director played a trick on Juhyeok, he revealed the truth to his co-worker. (chapter 6) As you can see, his actions contrast so much to Seol Gido’s. And the reason why I described him as lovely, it is because he is playing cupid. First, he tried to pair the beta with the omega Ha. (chapter 13) But before becoming proactive, he asked for Kim’s feelings and thoughts. The readers can also detect how observant he is. He noticed that Kim Juhyeok felt comfortable with the omega. Then when he sensed no huge resistance or denial from the main character, he made such a suggestion:: (chapter 13) He had already intervened before, when he had noticed Weonyi’s interest for the beta. (chapter 13) Then at the restaurant, he told his co-worker that a guest was interested in him. (chapter 18) As you can see, for him, love between two men is nothing unusual, for the relationship between alphas and omegas is accepted. He makes no distinction in the end. And that’s how he discovered that Kim viewed Lee Sihyeon as handsome. (chapter 18) He pushed the main lead to ponder on the question why the boss was handsome. His interrogation (chapter 18) contrasts so much to Seol Gido’s who tries to impose his will onto the main lead. The huge smile on his face (chapter 18) mirrors the actor’s cold gaze. (chapter 20) Thus when they returned from lunch, Mister Kang couldn’t help himself teasing the colleague. (chapter 19) However, his true intention was to push Kim to realize that he was not immune to the boss. (chapter 19) This is important, because Mister Kang is now aware of the protagonist’s thoughts and emotions, though the latter is still in denial. This explicates why he left his colleague’s side, when director Lee proposed a walk to his love interest. He was playing cupid again. (chapter 19) This signifies that director Lee has already won an important ally in order to win the beta’s heart. Finally, observe that the alpha actor was introduced in chapter 4 , while the lovely omega started playing a bigger role in the same chapter! (chapter 4) That’s the reason why I came to love the omega so much. Not only he is funny, but he is very nice and so honest! He is definitely an overlooked hero. From my point of view, he has a better understanding of human nature than the actor, for he is taking feelings into account. For the beta, the relationship between an alpha and an omega is influenced by instincts and as such nature. That’s the reason why Kim Juhyeok thought that manager Lee would never be able to divorce Seo Heetae. (chapter 18) However, note that the cute omega is still thinking that their relationship is not over, for the manager still has feelings for his “partner”. (chapter 18) Thus I deduce that Mister Kang is going to be the beta’s counselor in his love life. And this leads me to the following question. Why does Mister Kang feel the need to pair the beta with someone? In my eyes, the young man has already sensed his loneliness and solitude. First, he knows about his dream to move to a warm country implying that he has no “attachment” here. Besides, let’s not forget that he helped Mister Kang, when the latter had some health issue. He took over his work. (chapter 2) The beta might have resented him internally (“forced to work overtime”), but he never complained to him. As you can see, Mister Kang values his colleague very much. They eat together and assist each other. If he were to leave the company, the young omega would definitely miss him. To conclude, he has every reason to meddle in Kim Juhyeok’s love life and give him advices.

3. Kim Juhyeok, the hero 😍

The protagonist views omegas like humans and not like breeding machines or as inferior human beings. He fight for their rights, hence he intervened, when manager Lee got abused by his husband. (chapter 1) And observe that unlike all the other betas, he was the only one who viewed it as a violation of human rights. (chapter 1) That shows the disregard towards the omegas. They can be “mistreated”, for it is in the alphas’ nature to demonstrate their power and strength. This explicates why manager Lee listened to the beta’s advice. He shouldn’t tolerate such a mistreatment and file for a divorce. This took his companion by surprise! (chapter 16) He never envisioned that the manager omega would cut ties with him. He used the excuse that the other omega had released his pheromones to “justify” his cheating. He couldn’t control himself. The manhwaphiles can detect the contradiction between nature and society. Since alphas and omegas are living in a civilization, they should be able to “control” their nature. This truly points out that love between omegas and alphas are not simply fated, the partners have to work together to maintain a healthy and natural relationship. And that’s what the beta taught to the arrogant Seo. He imagined that a half-commitment was enough, and the rest would be left to nature and as such “destiny”. However, he is wrong. A true couple has to respect each other. Finally, I would like to outline that though Lee Hyeonjae is an omega, he is a manager displaying his intelligence and strength. As an omega, he doesn’t want to be reduced to his function, the partner of an alpha, and as such to become a housewife. And that’s how his former companion came to recognize how different the omega was. (chapter 16) Slowly, the violent and selfish manager is realizing that his marriage was not destiny. As a conclusion, the lovely beta is also playing a huge role in the love life of Lee Hyeonjae. He showed him what he should expect from his partner or not. Thus I interpret that while Mister Kang embodies love and jokes, the other Mister K. stands for reason and norms (in a positive sense contrary to Seol Gido).. The beta is the representative of hard work, pride and reality, the dark-haired omega views fun, jokes and dream. Therefore it is no coincidence that the two workers got so close to each other. (chapter 13) Thus he is teaching his co-worker to drop his prejudices indoctrinated from his friend Seol Gido. That’s the reason why I view Mister Kang as the “antagonist” of Seol Gido. The irony is that the alpha will only consider Lee Sihyeon as a potential rival, overlooking the power from the cute omegas, Mister Kang and Mister Ha. (chapter 16). He is very protective of them.

Honestly, I am looking forward for next Friday, because according to tappytoon, two chapters will be released at once. Both alphas, Lee Sihyeon and Seol Gido, will finally meet each other.

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The Ghost’s🥀 Nocturne: Devoted 💓🖤 curses 🧙‍♂️

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/ghost_nocturne  https://www.lezhin.com/ko/comic/night_song But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link, if you are interested in other manhwas: https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/ And these are the links to the other analyses about The Ghost’s Nocturne: 1. The Mysterious Jae Shin 2. The fragile but powerful prince

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Before starting the topic of this essay, I would like to remind my readers that exactly like in the first essay, I am going not just to interpret certain scenes or characters, but also to present theories which I developed through contrasts and connections. Therefore it is possible that certain ideas or significations become wrong later, as the story progresses. If you read my analyses about Painter Of The Night, you are aware that my passion is to work like a detective! 😉

1. Curse: the symbol of love or hatred?

On the surface, the title “devoted curses” seems contradictory, for devotion represents the opposite of curse. The latter is a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone, while devotion is a synonym for love, commitment and allegiance. This implies that the person will do anything in his power to protect the loved one. Striking is that in this story, the curse can be the sign of love and affection. First, Yeom chose to become a spirit not only out of hatred for Queen Han, but also out of love. She could never recover from the loss of her loved ones. (chapter 8) She felt guilty for their death. Thus she dedicated her life to find a way to punish the evil child. (chapter 13) Then Queen Yoon decided to employ dark arts to protect her son. (chapter 21) Yet, the amulets were actually curses, as they were supposed to keep away the ghosts and spirits. (chapter 20) Hence when the king discovered the amulets, he truly believed that Queen Yoon had tried to hurt the Crown Prince. As you can see, there is a strong connection between devotion, affection and curse. Finally, if you read my first analysis about The Ghost’s Nocturne, you are already aware that Yeomra didn’t curse his son Jae Shin (chapter 1) in order to wound or humiliate him. His malediction and punishment were a sign of his affection, it was to protect him in the end. It was the prince’s fate to remain in the mortal realm and meet Lee Nok. (chapter 3) I am quite certain many people know this saying: Who loves well, chastises well. Yes, this proverb is actually insinuating that children need to know boundaries, because through a bad experience, the loved one can learn a lesson and come to internalize social norms. They need to learn to become responsible for their wrong choices or bad behavior. To conclude, boundaries are necessary to become not only loyal and honest, but also brave. [For more read the essay Cowardice versus courage: innate or learnable?] Striking is that Queen Yoon acted the same way with Han Chae-Hee. There is no doubt that she loved this young lady.. (chapter 21) Thus when she discovered the incident with the wounded servant, she was greatly disappointed, especially when the villain showed no remorse or guilt. (chapter 21) Her words oozing indifference and coldness could only shock and infuriate the queen. (chapter 21) By hurting her, the sovereign was reminding her of her true nature; she was a human after all. Queen Yoon hoped with her punishment that the court lady would come to learn to show more respect towards the maids. Chae-Hee should view them as humans, and just like her, they would feel pain. The matriarch didn’t value people based on their social status, but on their condition: they are also vulnerable mortals.

As you can see, both parents in this story had a similar attitude towards their affectionate one. They desired them to change, to improve their behavior. While Yeomra as god had nothing to fear from his son, it was not the same for Queen Yoon, because the latter had a weakness. Han Chae-Hee knew about the Crown prince’s curse. (chapter 20) Thus after the chastise, the young lady cursed Queen Yoon with her thanks. (chapter 21) But contrary to Yeomra, the future queen had a different intention. Her words displayed her thoughts. She was already planning to hurt the sovereign.

2. The targets of maledictions

And now, if I were to ask the avid readers how many curses exist in this story, the latter might reply three. The victims of a malediction are Jae Shin, Yeom (chapter 13) and finally Lee Nok. Why? It is because all these maledictions are the most obvious one. Yet there is more to it. Though Queen Yoon got sentenced to death by the king of Joseon, (chapter 21) I believe that the gentle woman was targeted by a god from the Underworld, the true father of Han Chae-Hee as well. Moreover, we have the ghosts circulating around the punished prince. (chapter 13) Finally, I believe that Han Chae-Hee was cursed as well, thus the father Han Jung-Eon asked for the shaman’s assistance in the first place. Note how Yeom described the young lady: (chapter 8) She was associated to misfortune, to bad karma, thus she had to become a righteous person in order to change her situation. But why had she such a bad “karma”? It is because her father is from the afterlife. In my first essay about The Ghost’s Nocturne, I had already presented her as the fruit of a god and a human, but I had no idea about the identity of her parents and as such her true lineage. However, now it is different, for I could gather more information.

3. Han Chae-Hee’s curse

The author left the biggest clue with this scene. (chapter 21) The young lady refused to sit on the pillow embroidered with the name “Han Jung-Eon”. (chapter 21) She explained her attitude as a sign of great devotion and filial respect, whereas in my eyes, it was the opposite. She was not recognizing the official as her true father. Secondly, the queen asked the villain to report this incident to her “father!” (chapter 21) While Lee Nok’s mother had in mind the official Han, the young woman could think otherwise. She would report it to her biological father, and the latter would definitely retaliate. 😲

Moreover, I realized that Ananas had introduced 3 gods from the afterlife. Yeomra (chapter 1), Jin-Gwang and Cho-Gang. (chapter 3) Striking is that each deity is associated to a certain punishment: tongue ripping, the knives and the fiery cauldrons! Thus Cho-Gang wondered why Jae-Shin had not be sent to him. (chapter 3) However, in Korean and Chinese, the number 4 sounds similar to DEATH!! This explicates why in South Korea the number of 4 is often avoided. The 4th floor in a building will be referred to 3B and it is the same for the place in a parking lot! That’s how I deduced the existence of a 4th god of the Underworld. And Han Chae-Hae must be related to him. Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why Jae Shin’s brothers are working for the 3rd office. (chapter 15) Yeomra’s realm corresponds to the 3rd office. Thus I am assuming that each god from the afterlife has his own office, Jin-Gwang and Cho-Gang’s being the first and second bureau of the Underworld. However, because of their interactions in the patio, it becomes clear that only these 3 gods were close to Jae Shin, and not the 4th god. But since Yeomra and the other gods of the Underworld are associated to a certain punishment, I am deducing that the 4th god must also represent a certain suffering. But what could it be? That’s how I came to the following idea: poisoning. Note that in order to rip the tongue, you need a knife. As you can see, I believe that there must exist a connection between each torture from the afterlife. And for a poison, you need a cauldron and probably fire… Finally, the manhwalovers should notice how Han Chae-Hee destroyed the queen. The schemers used rumors to tarnish her reputation, her tool was poison tongue. (chapter 21)The tongue is often depicted as an instrument that is full of death and poison. It is also unruly—unpredictable, listless, nervous and easily agitated, and always prepared to inject venom. We could witness this, when the young lady cursed the queen with her “gratitude”. (chapter 21) This is no coincidence that her method contrasts to Yeomra’s ruling: (chapter 1) The juxtaposition of these two panels makes the readers recognize the similarities and as such the contradictions: gratitude versus punishment, hatred versus love, calmness and anger etc. She is presented similarly than the king of the hell of tongue ripping. This is important, because with this new theory, the manhwaphiles can sense rivalry and jealousy of this 4th god towards Yeomra. Finally, my friend Luzyla had mentioned to me that one of the ghosts could have died due to poisoning (chapter 13), as a drug can create the sensation of heat. That’s how I recognized too that Han Chae-Hee’s father is behaving the opposite of Yeomra. While the latter is fair and impartial so that he doesn’t fear to sentence his son, the other is blinded by his love for his daughter. He will do anything for his daughter. Thus he made sure that she becomes Queen in the mortal world. She is definitely treasured. She felt insulted, when the shaman Yeom criticized her for bad karma.. She was “cursed” due to her father’s true origins, while the villain felt powerful thanks to him. She could control malevolent spirits. (chapter 8) Yet, like Han Jung-Eon mentioned it to the queen, a monk had helped them to change her situation. (chapter 20) This means that between the 10 years of Yeom’s wandering, the family Han had discovered a mean to keep away the spirits. However, for me, the official definitely deceived the Queen by letting her believe that they had used the same stratagem to help the daughter. My theory is that they used Lee Nok as her replacement!

4. Lee Nok’s curse

And now, you are wondering how I came up with this idea. Actually, the starting point of the whole theory was Lee Nok’s confession. (chapter 20) Striking is that the Crown Prince had been fetched by a single man dressed in black. However, the rule is that a deceased has to be followed by a messenger and a ward. (chapter 15) And there was no exception for Jae Shin too. (chapter 1) Why? It is because they make sure that no grim reaper or god meddles in the mortal world. Since Jae Shin is wandering around alone in the human world, he was able to manipulate the book of names. He was not monitored like all the others, because he needed to go there in order to replenish his energy. And note that the brothers came to pay him a visit together! (chapter 15) Thus I came to the following observation: the man in black had brought Lee Nok on purpose to the afterlife. This was never a mistake! (chapter 21) How can I be so sure? It is because this mysterious man never allowed Lee Nok to cross the river (chapter 1) But who is this mysterious man? It can not be a messenger or a ward, for all of them are wearing hats. Secondly, I am excluding Jae Shin, as the latter never wears a topknot in the Underworld. This could only be a god and as such the 4th god. Thus he has access to the book of names. And only someone from the Underworld could know that it was not his time to cross the river. (chapter 20) Because he had brought back the young boy, no one could detect the manipulation, as the book of names had not been touched. Thus I deduce that the person tipping off lord Park (chapter 1) was the man in black from Lee Nok’s dream. How could he get aware of Jae Shin’s supernatural powers and of his imminent death? Someone with knowledge and connected to the afterlife could manipulate the stupid noble Park. The mysterious man in Black knew that Jae Shin would get caught and even punished for his trick!! But why?

It is because this man didn’t want him to meet Lee Nok, I would even say that he wished that the prince remained in the Underworld. He imagined that the king of hell of tongue ripping would definitely sentence his own son. However, since he had never been close to the prince and Yeomra, he never expected him to send his son to the human world, because that’s the place he can replenish his energy. It doesn’t sound like a real penalty. However, this trick was so pointless, because on his way to meet his father, his path crossed the Crown Prince’s. (chapter 3) It was their fate to meet. But why did the mysterious man bring Lee Nok to the shore of the 3 ways-river?

5. Yeomra’s attachment

Let’s not forget that Yeomra had violated his own rules, when he fell in love with a human and Jae Shin was born. His actions had affected the human world. So they needed to create a balance according to Taoism, the harmony of yin (black, female) and yang (white, male). Someone should be born with yin energy so that Jae Shin would have a companion. But since I am suspecting that the 4th god of hell is jealous of Yeomra, he could only be infuriated that his daughter was destined to have such a partner. Besides, while Jae Shin is an immortal, Han Chae-Hee is still a human with the power to see spirits and use dark arts. Such a god could only see it as unfair… Thus I come to the conclusion that Lee Nok was brought to the afterlife in order to change Han Chae-Hae’s fate. That’s how Lee Nok became the prince’s destined companion. Thus Yeomra said this to his friends: (chapter 1) He knew about the intervention of the 4th god! But this doesn’t end here. When Yeomra banished his son, he never mentioned that Jae Shin would turn into a white puppy. It is important to pay attention to his words: (chapter 1) On the surface, it looks like he turns into a human during the night. But this is not entirely correct, he might preserve his human form, but this doesn’t mean that he is powerless. Hence he could survive the stabbing from the Crown Prince. (chapter 16) Secondly, he never mentioned Jae Shin’s true form during the day. (chapter 1) Creature can refer to an animal or a human. However, since he is a white puppy, he can never be perceived as a curse, for this creature is supposed to ward off evil spirits. As you can see, his curse was actually a blessing in disguise. The Queen and her father can only attack the prince from the Underworld during the night. That’s the reason why they will try to separate the “ghost” from his fated companion during the night.

6. Curse, water and Earth

But then, one detail caught my attention: the importance of water! The gods met at the pavilion and Yeomra was looking at the pond (chapter 3), when Jae Shin was marking Lee Nok as his partner. (chapter 3) And the crown prince got ill, after taking a bath outside with his mother. (chapter 21) As you can see, I believe that the connection between the two worlds is the water, and as such the pavilion. (chapter 1) Thus the white dog met the lonely Ghost prince next to the pond. But why water? The latter serves as mean for purification, and this stands in opposition to Yeom’s curse who chose to be buried alive. She desired to become an evil spirit in order to torment her enemy Han Chae-Hee. (chapter 13) This means that she gave up on reincarnation. She is condemned to wander for eternity on Earth. (chapter 15) As you can see, earth is strongly connected to the spirits, while water to the afterlife. That’s the reason why I believe that the author is playing the following elements: Water and air versus earth and fire. Hence C.-R. Jade was asked to used such colors, when Jae Shin was descending to his father’s realm. Was it air or water? And this observation brings me to the following deduction. Yeom can not approach the young Queen, for the latter is protected. The spirit thinks that it is an amulet (chapter 13), but observe that the drawer employed blue as a color at the bottom. I see it as a clue that the father must have brought “water” from the divine river. That’s the reason why the ghost can not enter her palace. This 4th god from Hell is violating all the rules from the Underworld.

7. The identity of the mysterious man

As conclusion, Queen Han’s father decided to curse Lee Nok to protect his daughter and even to help his daughter to become queen in the human world, because she is a mortal. She was not like Jae Shin. The latter can see ghosts and spirits so he is not alone. That’s the reason why he tried to have Jae Shin punished. Out of the picture, Queen Han had no other big opponent. That way, his lineage could rule over Joseon, while he is a forgotten god in the Underworld. But who is her father then? (chapter 30). For me, the man on the left is her father. Who would imagine that such a poor and weak man would be so powerful? First, he might not be dressed in black, but he is wearing the same hair dress than the mysterious man in black. Striking is that in that scene, he acted exactly like Han Chae-Hee, he spreads lies about Jae shin in order to separate our favorite couple. He badmouthed Jae Shin to scare Lee Nok. Moreover, he is alone. Finally, he is blind… and remember what people said about the “viper”. Her gaze was truly terrible. (chapter 8) (chapter 21) It was, as if her father had given her his eyes. And remember that I had described him blinded by love and obsession for his daughter. He would do anything for her, though deep down, I am sensing that he is motivated by hatred and jealousy towards Yeomra. But since his meddling caused the death of many people, there is no ambiguity that the god’s fight is pointless. Han Chae-Hee is headed to face a terrible karma. Each action has a consequence, and since her father changed the fate of many people, her destiny got changed and not for the better! (chapter 13) For me, there is no ambiguity that she will never be allowed to enter the afterlife and as such she will never be able to live with her father or get reincarnated. Hence the devoted god’s curse can only turn into a true malediction. Why? It is because this deity never realized that “death” was a blessing in disguise for his daughter. She would never have to bear the pain to wait for the return of the fated companion. She would have no memory of her past love. Jae Shin, as an immortal, will be the only one remembering his relationship with Lee Nok, unless he chooses to give up on his immortality.

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

Jinx: “Joo Jaekyung, the strongest man in the world💪💪 “

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/jinx_en  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex,  https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/21/who-are-you-the-significance-of-masks-in-manhwas/  and the 7th essay about Jinx https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2023/01/06/jinx-%f0%9f%8c%8f-two-worlds-%f0%9f%8c%8e/ Here is the link of the table of contents about Jinx. Here is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas

It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33  That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.

1. The true meaning of this statement

This statement (chapter 1) represents Kim Dan’s perception about Joo Jaekyung. But what does he mean actually here? First, he is referring to his successful career. The man has not been defeated for a long time. However, this declaration implies as well that the champion is super healthy. It is because strength is a synonym for health and vitality. First, we shouldn’t overlook that Kim Dan is also a physical therapist. Secondly, there is no ambiguity that the doctor thought this as well, because the moment he massaged his client, he kept praising him for his muscles (chapter 1) and his skin! (chapter 1) The color and texture of skin and the muscles serve as indicators to detect an illness.

2. The origins of this perception

Hence the halmoni was drawn with wrinkles and a rather pale skin. (chapter 7) Moreover the biggest proof of her cancer was the huge loss of weight! She was so thin that moving represents a huge hurdle for her. And the moment the manhwalovers compare the champion’s leg (chapter 1) with the halmoni’s hand (chapter 7), they can grasp why Kim Dan made such a statement. For him, the athlete could only appear healthy!! His body contrasts so much to his grandma’s! Hence Joo JAekyung could only appear as the strongest man in the world. However, as you can imagine, I believe that the doctor’s judgement is wrong! I came to develop this theory while reading chapter 9. Yes, Joo Jaekyung is not healthy!! For me, he is hiding an illness. 😲

3. Joo Jaekyung’s illness

But how did I come to this conclusion?

Everything started with Park Namwook’s confession. (chapter 9) He called his famous member a maniac. This idiom caught my attention, thus I started investigating what mania truly is.

Mania is a psychological condition that causes a person to experience unreasonable euphoria, very intense moods, hyperactivity, and delusions. Mania (or manic episodes) is a common symptom of bipolar disorder.” Quoted from https://www.healthline.com/health/mania

However, mania shouldn’t be judged as a synonym for bipolar disorder. A person suffering from mania is not necessarily suffering from bipolar disorder, because depression and the feeling of emptiness or suicidal thoughts represent the characteristics of Bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder, previously called manic depression, is a mental health condition that involves fluctuations in thinking, mood, and behavior. If you have bipolar disorder, you may experience periods of depression or mania. […] Bipolar I involves depression and mania, an extremely high mood. Bipolar II is more likely to involve depression and hypomania. Hypomania is similar to mania but less extreme. Quoted from https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/manic-depression-bipolar-disorder

  And Joo Jaekyung acts definitely as a confident sportsman. Furthermore, when Kim Dan ignored him, he didn’t get depressed at all. In fact, he even got upset and angry. (chapter 5) On the other hand, the protagonist showed huge mood swings, from extreme euphoria to anger or the reverse. But what are the symptoms for mania?

  • He or she is easily distracted.
  • He or she engages in risky or impulsive behavior. This includes spending sprees, business investments, or risky sexual practices.
  • He or she has racing thoughts.
  • He or she has a reduced need for sleep.
  • He or she has obsessive thoughts. Quoted from https://www.healthline.com/health/mania#Diagnosis

Joo Jaekyung’s behavior definitely shares some similarities to these symptoms. He would engage in sexual activities with strangers (he only had met the doctor once) and at any place, then he wouldn’t sleep much. Imagine that after the sex marathon, he still woke up even before Kim Dan. (chapter 4) This scene revealed that the top didn’t sleep much. Furthermore, pay attention to his eyes. Mingwa drew him with small dark circles (chapter 7) and some redness around the eyes. (chapter 9) As you can see, I am suspecting that Joo Jaekyung is somehow suffering from insomnia. He should sleep much more, especially if he has a fight the next day. Finally, he has already become obsessed with the physical therapist. But what are the causes of mania?

Environmental changes can trigger mania. Stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one, can contribute to mania. Financial stress, relationships, and illness can also cause manic episodes. Conditions like hypothyroidism can also contribute to manic episodes.” Quoted from https://www.healthline.com/health/mania#Causes

As you can see, mania can have a physical origin! Everything is pointing out that Joo Jaekyung is not healthy. But there exists another evidence for this interpretation. (chapter 7) Observe that when Kim Dan was praising the sportsman for his talents and as such his strength, one boxer was walking in his direction. The latter was actually injured, but no one had noticed it. The fighter had been dismissing it, thus his injury was not treated properly. Simultaneously, the doctor was criticizing the champion for his personality. So in this single panel, we have an undetected wound and as such illness combined with the champion’s mental health. And now, you comprehend why I could only come to the deduction that Joo Jaekyung was not healthy in the end. But so far, it was blamed on his personality. Finally, observe that the champion is the only one who rejects alcohol!! (chapter 9) In South Korea, this is very unusual due to History of Korean drinking culture. Alcohol serves to create connections and reinforce relationships. So rejecting to participate in such events indicate avoidance to drink alcohol. The only explanation is that the person has some health issues. Finally, Joo Jaekyung’s reaction to Kim Dan’s drunkenness exposed his true thoughts: (chapter 9) If he drinks, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. His irritability could come to the surface. And the moment I realized that Joo Jaekyung was sick, I had this thought: What if he has been suffering from the consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)? Let’s not forget that he is a boxer!! And the cauliflower ears are the evidences that he was hurt in the past. (chapter 1) Finally, he even admitted to the main lead that he received blows to his head (chapter 8)

4. TBI and its consequences.

I discovered that personality changes after head injury, but the patient is not truly realizing it. Besides, if he gets compared to his past attitude, the latter could react negatively.

“The location of the brain injury can especially change how the person behaves. For example, the orbitofrontal cortex helps control impulsive behavior and plays a role in a person’s empathy. If this area becomes damaged, the person may struggle to empathize with others and might engage in more reckless behavior. To their loved ones, they may seem to have a different personality altogether. In addition, a head injury often affects a patient’s mood and emotions. This can make them seem more depressed, angry, or irritable than usual, causing others to believe that the person has had a personality change. Quoted from https://www.flintrehab.com/personality-changes-after-head-injury/

According the last website, a person suffering from TBI has severe mood swings and is as such emotionally labile. Then they mentioned the flat affect. The latter is a reference to the lack of emotional expressiveness (verbally and physically):

Family members of TBI patients often report that their loved one seems less engaged or less interested in the rest of the family and in the activities they once enjoyed.” Quoted from  https://www.flintrehab.com/personality-changes-after-head-injury/

This would also explain why he is not close to his family right now. At the same time, we would have an explanation, why Joo Jaekyung was often left speechless in front of Kim Dan. (chapter 3) (chapter 9) (chapter 9)

Finally, the website mentioned that a patient with TBI has an aggressive behavior. (chapter 1) (chapter 5) Besides, I also found out that insomnia can also be a consequence of TBI. https://neuliferehab.com/insomnia-after-traumatic-brain-injury/

Finally, such an injury can affect the patient’s sexual behavior.

ABC News posted this interesting story about how brain trauma spurred hypersexuality in two women. Brain trauma more often causes a decrease in libido. However, sometimes it causes an increase in libido, as in the case of Alissa, a 23-year-old who suffered a car accident, and Heather, a 43-year-old who suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-superhuman-mind/201503/brain-trauma-can-cause-compulsive-sexual-desires#:~:text=When%20the%20frontal%20lobe%20is,have%20been%20in%20car%20accidents.

Hence I am suspecting that his jinx could be related to his illness, the effect of TBI, which he is hiding from everyone, because this could put an end to his career. If he has sex before a match, his brain is high functioning, so the risk that he has a problem with coordination or concentration … The power of serotonin. Moreover, there exists a high risk that boxers develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the so-called “punch drunk syndrome”. And now, you would have the explanation why he left the gym without telling his manager and coach what he was doing outside the gym. (chapter 9) He could have visited the hospital. But he doesn’t necessarily need to be suffering from CTE, one TBI is already enough to have life long consequences, like I pointed out above. Since such an injury affect the person’s personality, this means that they become more violent, reckless and tend to use drugs. Therefore there is a high risk that such a person dies young.

https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/moderate_to_severe_tbi_lifelong-a.pdf The statistics even display that a person’s life expectancy is 9 years shorter!! Thus it is important for such patients to have a loved one by their side, so that they learn boundaries. So far, Joo Jaekyung was able to control his “aggressive behavior”, as he used boxing to channel his irritability. But note that only 26% could improve their living conditions. But there is another important factor playing in these statistics: WEALTH!

“After inpatient rehabilitation for TBI, the following groups are more likely to die sooner:

Older adults

Men

Unemployed

People who are not married

People with fewer years of education

People with more severe TBI

People with fall-related TBI

This explicates why Joo Jaekyung was able to recover to a certain extent. With his money and fame, he could get not only support. (chapter 1), but also acceptance. They would close an eye to his “strange and aggressive” behavior due to his special status. Under this new light, his past behavior appears in a different light. He is not the strongest man in the world. His money, his muscles and fame were just masking his true condition, he is in pain. Thus he has such an expression in this image. (chapter 1) He lost a part of himself in the end. This is the result of his past injuries, but since Joo Jaekyung is moving around and is able to fight, anyone thinks that he has already recovered. But I don’t think that’s the case. Like pointed out above, the consequences of TBI are long lasting. Since Kim Dan knows about his halmoni’s sickness, I am assuming that it is the opposite for Joo Jaekyung. And as his physician, it is his role to discover it, because Joo Jaekyung is no longer close to his family.

That’s the reason why the readers shouldn’t judge the champion based on looks and impressions like the poor Kim Dan. (chapter 9) Here, he might look handsome, but what about his brain? It got definitely bruised and wounded. His lack of empathy and his projections onto Kim Dan are in my eyes the results of his past injuries as a boxer. Finally, since the halmoni is suffering from cancer, I come to the deduction that the champion’s illness is more mental. This is definitely much harder to discover. And since I am assuming that Joo Jaekyung has a family, but he is not in contact with them, it is up to Kim Dan to recognize the situation. Since he is a man full of empathy, he will be able to understand Joo Jaekyung and have a different attitude than in this scene. (chapter 7)

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

Painter Of The Night: Summary of a love story 💖😍🌹

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

It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33  That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.

Though the talk of marriage started in season 2, the author revealed that Yoon Seungho was not thinking about marriage in season 3 yet. It was too early, as Baek Na-Kyum was still viewed as a boy. Moreover, according to social norms, it was impossible, for his lover is a man. Then in front of Yoon Chang-Hyeon, he made fun of his father. (chapter 87) That’s the reason why I consider the love session in chapter 88 more like a relationship between a sponsor and an artist.

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

Jinx: 🌏 Two worlds 🌎 (second version)

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/jinx_en  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex,  https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/21/who-are-you-the-significance-of-masks-in-manhwas/  and the previous essay about Jinx Lucky loser and jinxed winner (full version) (the full version is locked) – Lucky loser and jinxed winner (10 pictures) Here is the link of the table of contents about JinxHere is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas

It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33  That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.

After seeing the illustration, it becomes clear that one topic of this essay is to outline the huge contrast between Kim Dan and Joo Jaekyung’s life.

1. The top and the bottom

While the latter lives at the top of the building , (chapter 2) the other sleeps in one room apartment in a small house. (chapter 5) (chapter 1) This signifies that while the champion is at the top of Korean society, the other is at the bottom. This is no coincidence that their social status is mirrored in their relationship. While the athlete owns an expensive car (chapter 9), the other uses public transportation. (chapter 1) As a conclusion, one character embodies wealth, while the other stands for poverty.

2. Pictures and status

Under this new light, the manhwalovers can comprehend why the author created such pictures. (chapter 1) (chapter 3) (chapter 9) Their position was reflecting not only their respective social status, but also the social gap, as they were not standing side by side. Since the champion belongs to the high society, Kim Dan had to look up at the celebrity initially. This was not just a question of height. Striking is that in the first two pictures, the protagonists were facing each other at a certain distance, they had nothing linking them together, indicating that the two main leads were living in two different worlds. However, there was a first change, when Kim Dan (chapter 2) grabbed the champion’s robe. Striking is that he barely held the cloth, as if he didn’t dare to touch the jacket. He was looking down, a sign of humbleness and resignation. I would even add, his attitude reminded the viewers more of a beggar, pleading for leniency and generosity. This panel truly displayed the power relationship between Kim Dan and Joo Jaekyung. Money was in the center of this couple and this is what brought them together initially! The poor needs the assistance of the rich. On the other hand, this gesture also announced a change. For the first time, Kim Dan was not only interacting with someone belonging to the top, but also was relying on someone else. Yet, this was more prostitution than work in the beginning, until Joo Jaekyung revealed his dependency on Kim Dan through the missed calls and the job offer. That’s the reason why the physical therapist was no longer imploring the champion, but now making requests. (chapter 6) Hence the main lead was positioned much lower than the doctor first.

Another important aspect is that in this scene, (chapter 9) the man of the hour was not Joo Jaekyung, but the physician contrary to these two other scenes. (chapter 1) (chapter 3) This explicates why during the welcome party, Kim Dan stands on the other side while holding a bowl. The latter resembles a lot to a cup due to the form and color!. (chapter 9) Kim Dan is now at the top, as all the boxers are looking at him cheering him up. (chapter 9) It even looks like manager Park Namwook was also recording this event. Striking is that for the first time, both main leads are interacting together in front of others. The drink is supposed to bring Kim Dan closer to the team and as such closer to Joo Jaekyung, which indeed happens afterwards. The latter is forced to enter Kim Dan’s world, and discover a new face of reality. (chapter 9)

Furthermore, the bowl (chapter 9) is a metaphor for the future link between the two protagonists. The doctor is there to help the athlete to win competitions, or like I had mentioned before, he is his reward and prize for his long and painful career. I would even add,, they will bond through sport, just like it occurred in the shower room. (chapter 8) Thus we had the challenge with the cup full of alcohol. (chapter 9)

3. Two worlds and sport

The irony is that Joo Jaekyung never realized that by provoking the young doctor with this description “delicate”, he pushed the young man to prove his strength. At the end, he won the bet and received the admiration of the members from Black Team. (chapter 9) This is important, because the doctor has truly earned the respect from Black Team, he is definitely accepted as one of them. Thus from that moment on, neither money nor the contract can have an influence on the relationship between the physician and the fighters. Observe that they keep calling him “doc”, which shows that they respect him not only due to his seniority but also due to his education. He studied hard to become a physical therapist. Hence Oh Daehyung refuses that Kim Dan acts as a servant, it is not his role and place to fetch ice cream for the boxers. (chapter 9) He is no errand boy. They don’t judge him based on his social class, but on his college degree. As you can see, sport is a place that can bring people from different social classes together. This explicates why we have famous sport events like Olympic games or World cups. Here, people from different countries are competing against each other, but it is the same principle. These events were created to generate friendship and avoid military conflicts. In tournaments, talents matter more than money and social status, though this statement has to be relativized, for “poorer countries” offer less chances to develop talented sportsmen. Hence some athletes decide to change their citizenship. Nevertheless, we can definitely state that sport generates bonds among the different social classes and as such serve to reduce the gap between the top and bottom.

4. The purpose of the contrast

On the other hand, I don’t think that Joo Jaekyung became rich thanks to his successful career, though this is not what Kim Dan is thinking.. (chapter 2) He is only famous in Korea according to the protagonist. Thus, for me, Kim Dan is quite naïve. Why do I come to this deduction? Simply through the contrast! The existence of two worlds indicates that Kim Dan is the “negative” reflection of Joo Jaekyung, though there is no ambiguity that they share some similarities: both take their job seriously, and are really hard-working. The champion never misses his training.

And this leads me to the following observation: Joo Jaekyung might belong to the upper-class, yet he never went to university. Since the doctor worked hard to get a good job, I conclude that it was the opposite for the champion. He was not talented for studies, he was more an athletic person. Now, I would like my avid readers to take a look at this table

Joo JaekyungKim Dan
richpoor
carNo car
famousinsignificant
Huge penthouseOne-room flat
 College degree
 Only one family member: halmoni
 rich neighborhoodpoor neighborhood

Under this new perspective, people can understand why I came to this deduction. Since Kim Dan’s family consists of two members, himself and his grandmother, I am assuming that Joo Jaekyung still has an intact family, but they are not close. We have many evidences for this interpretation. In the athlete’s penthouse, there are no family pictures or items reminding of a loved one contrary to the physician. (chapter 5) His place feels too empty and clean. (chapter 6) Secondly, there was no one by his side except his hyung, Park Namwook, when he won his fight. (chapter 5) Finally, this theory got reinforced, when I saw this panel. (chapter 9), which contrasts so much to this image. (chapter 2) However, these two scenes have something in common: “redevelopment!”. The skyscrapers are new buildings. This means that the district got redeveloped. That’s the reason why I believe that Joo Jaekyung’s family must be involved in the construction field or at least in the redevelopment of the city.

I would like to point out that many houses have a red cross on their wall (chapter 9) This indicates that the buildings were sold to a construction company. That’s the reason why the district looks so deserted and ruined, though there exists opposition visible thanks to the banner. Thus I deduce that this construction company and politicians are pressuring inhabitants to sell their home and this for a cheap price. The problem is that the moment the district is totally empty and gets redeveloped, the price for rent will increase considerably so that people with a low income can no longer live there. And if you are familiar with K-dramas or other manhwas (Under The Green Light for example), you are well aware that construction companies are often linked to Korean mafia! Consequently, I am suspecting that Joo Jaekyung is related to a construction company and as such to the mafia. This would explicate why he can live in the penthouse, why he has tattoos and finally why his family didn’t pay too much attention to his education. Finally, I had already pointed out the absence of a mother in his childhood. Only money and power matter in such a world. Hence this would not be surprising that the athlete has such a terrible mind-set, though I believe that there exist other causes for his aggressiveness and selfishness. Besides, this would explicate why he associates sex to prostitution and sponsoring. And if my theory is correct, this signifies that by meeting Kim Dan, he is forced to face reality, the true origins of his wealth: exploitation and ruthlessness. In the first version, I was even wondering if he is not one of the owners of “Black Team”, as he brought the company card to the restaurant. Chapter 16 proved my suspicion right. Kim Dan was paid in advance from the company „Black Team“, a sign that Joo Jaekyung has a saying about the expenses of the club. On the other hand, he was not always lucky in his career, for his ears are really damaged. That’s the other reason why I am thinking that his fortune is not entirely self-made. At the same time, his encounter with Kim Dan can only bring a change in his life. For the doctor symbolizes integrity, responsibility and selflessness, the champion will come to slowly internalize these values.

This is not surprising that at the end of the contest, Joo Jaekyung is forced to become responsible for Kim Dan’s drunkenness. . (chapter 9) We could also say that it was his karma, for abandoning him before in the shower. Because the main lead had to bring the doctor home, he discovered a new world which left him speechless. (chapter 9) He couldn’t even imagine that someone would live there. Thus he got skeptical. (chapter 9) This discovery can only puzzle him. He gave him so much money, yet he still lives in such a neighborhood. He can only wonder where the money went. It is now only a matter of time, until he gets aware that his salary is spent for someone else! Furthermore, the manhwaphiles should question if the champion is willing to enter such a deserted district. If he does, there is no ambiguity that he will meet the loan sharks. If not, he could decide to bring him home. One thing is sure: this discovery caught the champion’s notice and this can only intrigue the boxer. It’s not random that the moment he became responsible for Kim Dan, he was faced with reality. Responsibility and reality go hand in hand.

To conclude, Kim Dan is the champion’s medicine, he pushes him to witness the other side of the coin!! Money can reinforce social iniquities, so that it is difficult to break free from the vicious circle. Health is also strongly connected to income. It is well known that residents of impoverished communities are at increased risk for mental illness, chronic disease, higher mortality, and lower life expectancy. Just because poor people have no money, this doesn’t signify that they are less worth. Joo Jaekyung can only recognize the importance of health. Only a healthy lover can give him what he needs.

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

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

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

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

1. The slap and hands

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

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

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

2. The hand in the nightmare

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

3. The illustrations and the mystery

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

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

4. The mysterious left-handed

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

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

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

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

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

5. The other accomplices: the hanbok and the beards

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

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

Jinx: Lucky 🍀 loser and jinxed winner 🏆 (10 pictures)

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa.   https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/jinx_en  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex,  https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/21/who-are-you-the-significance-of-masks-in-manhwas/  and the 4th essay about Jinx https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2022/12/16/jinx-hot-boys-%f0%9f%a5%8a%f0%9f%98%8e-full-version/  (the full version is locked) https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2022/12/16/jinx-hot-boys-%f0%9f%a5%8a%f0%9f%98%8e-10-pictures/ Here is the link of the table of contents about JinxHere is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas

It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33  That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.

✨✨🎆🎆🎉🎉 I wish all my readers HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023!! 🎉🎉🎆🎆✨✨ 

After the release of chapter 8, many manhwalovers were so upset about Joo Jaekyung’s behavior that they wished that Kim Dan would make him regret soon enough. This was visible because of the posts and comments left on IG and Twitters. In their eyes, Joo Jaekyung had been the winner of this episode, because at the end, the poor physical therapist was left behind on his knees.  (chapter 8) Naturally, this is how the main lead must have felt, and the readers were all putting themselves in the shoes of Kim Dan. How could they not be hurt? He had somehow to clean up the mess left by the selfish and rude fighter. To conclude, this image reinforced the impression that Kim Dan had been the loser of this encounter. However, I believe this is not entirely correct. Why? First, we shouldn’t judge this situation from the doctor’s perspective. It is necessary not to view this episode based on emotions and impressions. Why? I would like the manhwaphiles to keep in mind that this story is entitled JINX! In other words, chance and bad omen play a huge role in the manhwa, but the main characters have no idea about this. Finally, Kim Dan has always felt unlucky in his life. Hence he can not perceive his last interaction with the champion as “luck” at all. Thus in this composition, I would like to present my interpretation of the chapter under the aspect “defeat” and “good fortune”. The purpose of this essay is to introduce my predictions about the next chapter. For me, there is no doubt that Joo Jaekyung’s “success” is just a Pyrrhic victory, but Joo Jaekyung is clueless about it.😉 This Pyrrhic victory will have terrible consequences for the champion, and this very soon. And the moment I viewed episode 8 in that perspective, I could only anticipate chapter 9 and looking forward for Joo Jaekyung’s jinx. 😁

1. The boxers: lucky losers?

Let’s start with Joo Jaekyung’s colleagues who were allowed for the first time to shower along the champion(chapter 8), though they had never been able to defeat the protagonist before.  (chapter 8) It looks like they were very lucky, for the main lead was generous and even in a good mood. Joo Jaekyung: “You’re good. Go ahead.” (chapter 8) On the other hand, when they opened the door and discovered the main lead’s presence, they first got shocked.  (chapter 8) It displays that they feared his reaction. It seemed more like they were very unlucky. One of them had even seen the champion vanishing in the showers, but he had still trusted his friend’s judgement. They were embarrassed and somehow fearful, hence they proposed to leave the room. Their insecurities were perceptible thanks to the rhetorical question (“What do we do?”), the stammering and the pause (uh and the points of suspension). Thus imagine their surprise, when they saw Joo Jaekyung’s smile and heard his invitation. They could only feel honored that the “winner” would accept them in the room. Their admiration for him could only increase, for he acted as a generous man.  (chapter 8) Thus while one was smiling out of happiness and relief, the other bid farewell to the athlete properly. However, the biggest evidence for their growing appreciation is when  (chapter8) the blond fighter asked the protagonist for his shampoo. Since they were already sharing the showers with him, they could also use the same washing!! It was, as though the athlete was no longer putting his distance from them and the gap was reducing. However, his friend warned him, he shouldn’t abuse the champion’s leniency: “Dude, don’t bother him, while he’s showering” (chapter 8) As you can see, the two boxers could only become happy and feel lucky, since Joo Jaekyung had accepted them in the showers. Furthermore, he had made no reproach to them, because they had talked or asked him for shampoo. The celebrity could appear as more humble and selfless to them. To sum up, they were the “lucky losers”.

2. Joo Jaekyung, the jinxed winner?

According to the uke from chapter 2, the athlete can only get victorious, if he sleeps with a man just before the match. So in Joo Jaekyung’s eyes, he is jinxed. Striking is that after not having sex with Kim Dan for quite some time, he got defeated.  (chapter 7) For the first time, he got punched by a man much smaller than him. To sum up, this scene could be seen as an evidence for his jinx. Here, he was the loser of the “battle”. Besides, observe that in the gym, the doctor had never approached him. He had watched him from a certain distance. (chapter 7)

On the other hand, in the shower, he was able to outlive his sexual fantasies… There is no ambiguity that he enjoyed the presence of the boxers in the room. So for him, the boxers were like a lucky charm. How do I know this? We have 4 clues for this. First, Kim Dan asked him to send the fighters away, when he shook his head.This shows that this was Joo Jaekyung’s intention. Secondly, the main lead was blushing and complimenting the uke.  (chapter 8) He was definitely savoring this situation. Moreover, Joo Jaekyung has the tendency to project his own thoughts and emotions onto Kim Dan. When he said “You’re even tighter today… guess you like a little thrill, huh?

(chapter 8) he was the one enjoying the thrill in reality. It is the same here too. “Looks to me like you really enjoyed yourself, doc. You can hardly even stand up”. (chapter 8) After ejaculating, he could no longer carry the doctor, hence he dropped him!! So his legs were definitely “shaking”. But why would he do that? It is because he is hiding his own emotions. I would even go so far to say that he is struggling to accept his homosexuality. Hence he is projecting his thoughts and emotions onto others. And since he could outlive his sexual fantasies without getting caught, we could say that he got a lucky loser! On the other hand, he felt like the winner, as Kim Dan had a climax there. He had been able not only to procure pleasure to the doctor, but also to “claim” Kim Dan as his prize! The former would never share him to the others. He might have shared the shower room, but not the physical therapist. 

3. Kim Dan, a lucky loser or jinxed winner?

Like mentioned above, the slender physical therapist had been able to punch Joo Jaekyung in the shower.  (chapter 7) This means that he had been the winner of the “fight”. And this slap left such an impression on the famous fighter that he was willing for the first time to call Kim Dan “doc”.  (chapter 8) This exposes that Joo Jaekyung came to warm up to the main lead. He is now recognizing him as a man, even as a physician. This was totally genuine, while in front of his hyung manager, he had to maintain appearances and fake his “respect”. (chapter 7) In the last image, his gaze was directed to the left, which is a sign that someone is lying. Yet, in the bathroom, the champion was looking straight at his sex partner. He was genuine in his admiration. To sum up, the idiom “doc” in episode 8 was a mark of real respect from Joo Jaekyung. His pride was not even hurt, as he kept smiling  (chapter 8). Further, he never retaliated against Kim Dan for his defiance and resistance. Remember how he reacted to the words from the other uke:  (chapter 2) And observe that the physical therapist was expecting a punch from the fighter, hence he used his arms to protect himself. (chapter 8) But no, Joo Jaekyung smiled and started talking. So in that moment the young man must have felt “lucky”, for he had been sparred. For the first time, the champion was sharing his thoughts to Kim Dan!! In fact, he used words to submit the main lead. He never employed force which I see as a positive sign contrary to episode 7. Despite the recognition from the athlete, he had to follow his request. He was bound by the secret arrangement, hence he could not refuse the athlete. So Kim Dan appears more as a jinxed winner.

Moreover, since Joo Jaekyung has never been defeated by his colleagues, he could impose his will onto others. Thus he never allowed anyone to share the showers with him.  (chapter 8) He was acting like the alpha of the group. And now, you have the explanation why the famous boxer never locked up the room. He expected that no one would entered the showers, as it was his privilege to shower alone. He thought that the other members of the club had noticed his departure to the shower room. Under this new light, the manhwaworms can grasp why the fighter chose the bathroom in the end. This was the place where he wouldn’t be bothered! Nevertheless, he could have asked him to give him a massage like in episode 1 for example.  (chapter 1). This truly exposes that with Kim Dan it was different right from the start. Joo Jaekyung brought himself the doctor to the showers, an unconscious sign that he wanted to share privacy and intimacy with him, which stands in opposition to this scene:  (chapter 7) As you can see, the sweet doctor was able to “defeat” the champion, not only with his punch, but also by forcing him to share the showers with him and as such with others!! Thus one might say that Kim Dan was lucky that the champion accepted him in that room. 

But this doesn’t end here. When he was coerced to have sex with Joo Jaekyung, he wished not to get caught by the other boxers: ” It’s too late.. The only thing to do now is finish before someone really catches us“: And it did happen, like he had wished. The other members never detected his presence.  (chapter 8) Was he lucky then? to a certain extent yes, because no one saw this humiliating situation. 

On the other hand, his wish coincides with the champion’s too.  (chapter 8) Hence the latter could only feel lucky. Not only he had immense pleasure there, but also he had not been caught. Observe that he mentioned this on two occasions; Joo Jaekyung; “Looks like we got away with it” /  (chapter 8) This displays how important it was not to get caught. He has more to protect than the doctor in the end. Under this new perspective, it becomes comprehensible why he was smiling constantly. He felt lucky, while the gentle physician could only feel the opposite. But here is the question: Was it really luck that the boxers entered the showers? 

4. The presence of the boxers in the showers

First, their arrival was no coincidence, because the main lead had out of habit not locked the door! Secondly, he had dragged the doctor with him (chapter 7), hence it was not clear to the other boxers if he had gone to the showers. He could have gone to the room to have a massage like in chapter 1. Besides, all of the fighters knew that they were not allowed to enter the bathroom, when the champion was there. But since the young man had followed the sportsman, they jumped to the conclusion that Joo Jaekyung was not taking a shower. That’s the reason why they entered the room. (chapter 8) In other words, this has nothing to do with luck at all. 

But this doesn’t end here. For me, the boxers’ presence in the showers will become a jinx for Joo Jaekyung. 😉 Why? It is because they will be the witnesses of the champion’s wrongdoing, though they “enjoy” his generosity!! How so? First of all, the athlete didn’t pay attention to Kim Dan’s clothes. The doctor was wearing his normal clothes (chapter 7), when he started working: a off-white tee-shirt with grey sweatpants. Like the huyng manager told him, he would receive his uniform tomorrow.  (chapter 7) This means that Kim Dan was not wearing an uniform, and he has no change of clothing. But now, all his clothes are wet.  (chapter 8) So the moment he leaves the bathroom, he can only catch the attention of people, especially the hyung manager!! How could the physical therapist could be so drenched? Besides, don’t forget that the hyung noticed the lack of disrespect from the athlete before.  (chapter 7)  (chapter 1) So everything will be used against Joo Jaekyung. The latter will be judged as a bully. He harassed the doctor in the shower, because he had to call him “hyung”. Under this new aspect, one of the boxers will remember hearing a loud there Boxer: “Did you hear something?” (chapter 8), whereas the other can testify that he saw the champion going there with the doctor. (chapter 8) But what the champion say to his defense? He can not say that they had sex there!! Besides, if he tries to mention that the physician had slapped him, no one will ever believe him.  (chapter 8) Then the fighters will explain his generosity, because he wished to cover up his “wrongdoing” and not get caught!! As you can see, I believe that the presence of the 2 fighters will become the champion’s jinx in the end so that the true winner of this encounter can only be the physician. The boxers and the coach will side with him, as they will jump to the wrong conclusion due to the main lead’s past behavior.  (chapter 1) They will think that Joo Jaekyung was jealous, because he had to give up on his privilege, he was no longer the hyung in the team next to the coach. However, the irony is that in the shower room, the champion had come to recognize the protagonist as a man and had called him “doc”. To conclude, for me, this image doesn’t just represent Kim Dan’s suffering, but also the evidence of his “luck”.  (chapter 8) The absence of an uniform can only announce the downfall of Joo Jaekyung who didn’t pay attention to details, too blinded with his own jealousy and his lust. I had already predicted that the fighters would become close to him, and even protect him, after chapter 8 I am more than ever convinced of this. Like I pointed out above, Joo Jaekyung is hiding his sexual orientation, thus he can never reveal the encounter in the showers, just like he can not mention the contract. This is the doctor’s good fortune. 

Now, the manhwaphiles can comprehend why I mentioned Pyrrhic victory in the introduction. That’s how the champion felt, but not realizing that he was in reality losing his privileges. First, he had allowed the other fighters to shower, hence this change could become a habit. Secondly, they still kept calling “hyung”, but the moment they believe that he bullied the new “hyung”, he can only lose his title as hyung! (chapter 8) Note that their departure ended with this title, which is not random at all. 

The other reason why I am expecting such an outcome is the evolution of the previous chapter. After their first intimacy, the athlete’s happiness was so short-lived!! From this  (chapter 5) to this  (chapter 5) I couldn’t forget his funny reaction. Besides, I had detected the presence of Taoism and karma. That’s the reason why I was not so upset while reading episode 8. I was already imagining his “punishment”. Moreover, I have to admit that I had another thought while observing the boxer’s reaction:  (chapter 8) The champion could become the doctor’s mentor for fighting. If he wants to be recognized as a real man and boxer by the doctor, he needs to act like one!!

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

Payback: Portrait of a wacko 🤪

This is where you can read these manhwas. Payback: https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/payback_en But be aware that this manhwas is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more analyses about Payback or other manhwas, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/ I am also using doctor Frost as reference again.  https://www.webtoons.com/en/mystery/dr-frost/list?title_no=371 

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Reminder: This analysis is based only on the manhwa.

Anyone reading Payback is aware that „wacko“ is the nickname given to Yoon Jay by Lee Yoohan. The latter started calling him that way, when he met him on the rooftop of the building owned by Dream Ent “for the first time”. (chapter 4) As you can imagine, in this essay, my main focus will be on executive director Yoon Jae, because he is surrounded by mystery and secrets. However, this perception is not entirely correct, because they exist other wackos in this story which I will present at the end. 😲

1. Introduction of Yoon Jae

What caught my attention is the way the protagonist was introduced in the prologue. The manhwalovers could never see his face and as such his gaze. . This means that Fujoking and Samk were hiding his real character on purpose, though the readers already knew his job and name: executive director Yoon. As you can see, the mystery concerning Yoon Jay is not about his name, but about his personality. He is indeed very difficult to understand contrary to Lee Yoohan who can be read like an open book.

But why? First, it is because we don’t have much information about him and his past. (chapter 1) He lived for a long time in the US, and he hasn’t been working at Dream Ent for a long time. He is portrayed as a ruthless man, for he doesn’t mind firing people. However, I believe that his bad notoriety is linked to his smile as well. How so? It is because when he rejects or fires people, he has a huge smile on his face. It was, as if he was feeling Schadenfreude. We have the perfect example, when he rejects Song Myungshin’s advances. (chapter 9) Though the image seems to ooze warmth due to the flowers and bright colors, we should perceive it as the opposite due to the huge contrast between the background and the immense NO. He is here acting, mirroring the actor’s hypocrisy. Besides, note that the main lead has closed eyes, an indication that he is hiding his true thoughts and emotions to the antagonist. Because the main lead combines a smirk with cold words, he appears heartless… almost like a psychopath! Hence he is also called psychopath. (chapter 35) That’s the reason why Yoon Jae is not surprised or upset hearing it from his protégé. His negative reputation incites fear and intimidation, like the spy admits it. Even the manager Choi gets frightened, when he hears his name. (chapter 6) However, the readers should question if Yoon Jae’s dangerousness is not exaggerated. Why? First of all, despite his claims, the worker was actually revealing secrets about the executive director to the actor Song Myungshin. If he truly feared him, then he shouldn’t have exposed the director’s research for the rabbit. (chapter 1) This was absolutely private. But who is Yoon Jae in reality?

2. The prologue: first clues about the “wacko”

Yes, even in the prologue, the authors let us see a glimpse of Yoon Jae’s personality. If you read other analyses from me, you are well aware that the decoration of a room mirrors the mental and emotional disposition of people. (Doctor Frost, chapter 8) Striking is the preference for dark colors, essentially brown and black.

“In color psychology, black means power and control, hanging on to information and things rather than giving out to others. Black is intimidating, unfriendly and unapproachable because of the power it exudes. […] Negative keywords include aloof, depressing and pessimistic, secretive and withholding, conservative and serious, power & control, sadness and negativity.” Quoted from https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-black.html

As you can see, the color reflects his mind-set. He is quite a controlling person, thus he made sure to be updated on Lee Yoohan’s moves. (chapter 9) He investigated about his past immediately. And what is the signification of brown then?

Brown suppresses the emotions, creating a safe haven from the stresses of the outside world within which problems can be contemplated and solved. Brown is a color of structure, although by no means does it encourage perfectionism – rather it encourages orderliness and organization. Brown is solid with strength and maturity. It prefers to function in its own safe little world – it is not carefree and spontaneous and doesn’t like surprises. It can be considered dull, boring and unexciting by many.” Quoted from https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-brown.html

This exposes that Yoon Jae is not an emotional person, quite the opposite. He is very serious, rational and even calculative, as he has to anticipate people’s actions (combined with black). (prologue) Furthermore, since the brown shade is associated to structure and organization, this shows that his whole life is revolving around work. Besides, the manhwaworms can perceive his workaholism thanks to the scripts placed on his desk and cupboards. He is so dedicated to his job that he even brings work home. (chapter 35). One might object to this interpretation, for contrary to the office in Dream’s building and Alice’s labyrinth (chapter 13), the floor and walls of his home are white. Why is there this difference? The color exposes the emptiness and loneliness of his life. This explains why the main lead barely goes home. I am even assuming that he is avoiding the place. He prefers sleeping on the bank (chapter 34) from the rooftop of the building than going home. And now, you comprehend why the director’s relative and friend sent Lee Yoohan there. He desired to ensure that his acquaintance would get enough sleep. Yoon Jae realized that if he desired to keep the main lead by his side, he needed to go back home so that they could share a bed together. (chapter 35) As you can see, I was able to create connections between the main lead’s office and other scenes indicating the importance of the design of a room.

(Prologue) His office seems to have no window, though I have my doubts about it. From my point of view, the windows are covered, or since this office has two rooms, it is possible that the windows are in the other study. Let’s not forget that when Lee Yoohan delivered the letter to his assistant Park Sung-Ki, it was still daylight. Anyway, since there’s no sunlight, the director has to turn on the light. This indicates that he doesn’t pay attention to time at all. I would even say that he has somehow lost the notion of „time“. Thus I conclude that he has no regular life. This is not surprising when Yoon Jae explains to Lee Yoohan later that he worked for three days without sleeping. (chapter 35) Since he switched from the office in the Dream’s building to the one at Alice labyrinth’s, he can barely notice sun light. And now, you have the explanation why the main lead is so feared by the workers from Dream Ent. He forces them to work non-stop, even to sacrifice their night (see chapter 38)! That’s the reason why he is called a psychopath. He doesn’t know the true meaning of life. For him, there only exists work, work, work. Under this new light, the readers can perceive the similarities between the two protagonists. Both were leading a similar way of life, but definitely for different reasons.

(Prologue) Finally, behind his desk there is this huge picture of a conifers’ forest covered with clouds and fog. (chapter 10) The topic exposes the main lead’s loneliness and dull life. There is no real fresh air in his office, as it is just a picture. This room feels suffocating. It was, as if Yoon Jae was buried under work. Finally, the manhwaphiles can notice the absence of family pictures. And this is the same in the second office at Alice labyrinth’s and his real home. He is truly alone. The darkness of the room and the absence of a family display that Yoon Jae is not truly living. He is just working. There’s no joy or happiness in his life. That’s the reason why he appears so ruthless to others, because he doesn’t take into consideration his workers’ love life and family. This is the second common denominator with Lee Yoohan. And now, it is time to focus why the main lead called Yoon Jae a wacko.

3. Their first meeting on the rooftop

When Lee Yoohan asked him for a cigarette, (chapter 3), Yoon Jae showed his hostility immediately. First, he remained silent, then he insulted him by throwing the butt to his feet. (chapter 3) Such a reaction could only shock Lee Yoohan, as the latter had showed no sign of aggressiveness before. But why did the mysterious man react so negatively then? It is because for Yoon Jae, the rooftop had become his true home, the place where he could breathe. That’s the reason why he didn’t want anyone there, until he met the other main lead! And it is the same at Alice‘s labyrinth either. The rooftop is the main lead’s refuge where he can connect to “nature”. He can watch the city, but also the stars in the night sky or find some sleep.

In his eyes, Lee Yoohan was just an intruder who was trying to approach him in order to obtain some benefit. This shows that kindness and generosity were unknown in his world. It is only about value, give and take. Striking is that during this scene, the authors let the readers see the devil’s smile which was actually a sign of his coldness. (chapter 3) This perception got even reinforced, when Fujoking chose black to show Yoon Jae’s words. (chapter 3) Unlike with Song Myungshin, the main lead decided to expose his true thoughts and emotions, therefore Lee Yoohan could see his gaze. In other words, the scene 9 stands in opposition to chapter 3 and 4. This is important, because this explains why Yoon Jae came to “show an interest in Lee Yoohan” righ away. While in chapter 9, the executive director sent away the evil and fake actor (chapter 9), he proposed a deal to “Lee Baekwon”. (chapter 4) The reason for this change of attitude is that Lee Yoohan showed no fear in front of him. He didn’t feel humiliated to take the butt and he even retaliated. (chapter 3) This means that he had no problem to defy Yoon Jae, while the latter knows about his terrible reputation. The protagonist would even glare at him after the punch. (chapter 4)

The other reason why the executive director got intrigued is the young man’s innocence and honesty. He had not only no idea about his true identity (chapter 4), but also he rejected his assistance. (chapter 5) This shows that Lee Yoohan was no real leech. In other words, the young man was acting the opposite to the people Yoon Jae had ever met so far: hypocrites and greedy leech. That’s the reason why Yoon Jae found him so intriguing.

What caught my attention is the vocabulary he was employing in connection with the young actor: joke (chapter 4), amusing (chapter 11), impressive (chapter 13), boring (chapter 23) and “amused” . (chapter 23) These idioms belong to the semantic field “entertainment”, which stands in opposition to work! To conclude, Lee Yoohan brought joy and light into his dull life, this is not surprising that at the end of season 1, Yoon Jae is now investing in an independent movie.

Due to his unusual reactions, the main lead felt more and more attracted to the young man. Thanks to him, he felt his heart racing for the second time! (chapter 35) But why did he react to “revenge” then? He had never done something like that before, for he had always been on his own. He had always been indifferent towards people. But the more he saw the young actor, the more he got aroused sexually, the consequence of his racing heart. (chapter 13) This indicates that he was slowly brought back to life.

4. The origins of Yoon Jae’s weirdness

What he only knew so far was to make deals (value, give and take), because that’s the way he had been raised: t (chapter 30) He was not allowed to voice his emotions and thoughts to his “mother”. That’s the reason why Fujoking portrayed him as emotionless. (chapter 30) He had no smile on his face as a child, because he had been forced to lose it. There is no ambiguity that he was not allowed to cry either. The reason seems to be related to the mother’s high expectations for her son. (chapter 30). She made plans that Yoon Jae had to make come true. That’s how he internalized that life consists of only work and expectations. Everything else is pointless. It doesn’t matter, if this woman is his biological mother or his “adoptive mother”. Let’s not forget that the executive director has two names, Han and Yoon. Yoon comes from his mother. He is using “Yoon”, which could be seen as a sign of pride, while he resents “Han”.

This woman raised him with the following principles: deals and plans. There was no hug and warmth between them, hence there is this huge distance between them. (chapter 30) And she only touched him with her finger on his forehead. (chapter 30) He only had to use his intelligence and deny the existence of his heart. That’s the reason why he became a lonely and detached person. The lack of intimacy explains why Yoon Jae discovered sexuality very late. He only had sex with Lee Yoohan so far. (chapter 30) He had not the time and the opportunity to question his sexual orientation. His whole life revolved around work since his childhood.

Striking is that on the day, he met the protagonist for the first time, he looked quite suicidal and depressed. He was definitely provoking the men, thus he reproached the main lead his intervention. (chapter 14) He had a wounded arm, he was hiding his gaze behind his hair… a sign that he was having a hard time. He could only voice his emotions through aggression in the end. Striking is that in this situation, he utilized the idiom “play” contrasting to his philosophy of life: work: (chapter 14) In his mind, play was a synonym for fighting, but Lee Yoohan changed the meaning: sex. Thus when he had sex with the young man, he made two discoveries: tears which could only move his heart (chapter 14), for they represented what Yoon Jae had always been repressing so far, his broken heart and sadness. (chapter 35) This means that the young actor serves as a role model for the executive director. At the same time, he felt sexual pleasure for the first time (chapter 14), and he could give warmth to someone. (chapter 15) He was no longer evaluated based on his work performance, but on his kindness. I am quite certain that during this encounter Yoon Jae must have felt time differently too.

Therefore it is no coincidence that after this love session, the executive director wished to keep in touch with the mysterious rabbit. He was willing to open up his heart for him. (chapter 15) I would even add that he was totally sincere, when he gave him the following advice: (chapter 15) But what the executive director had in mind back then was totally different from Lee Yoohan. Thanks the pink rabbit, he had discovered that he was not truly alone, there existed warmth and emotions besides work. This meeting had definitely affected the main lead’s perception, hence he added this: (chapter 15) He was smiling again, because he felt that a new chapter in his life was about to begin. However, the problem is that his words resonated for the former thug differently. He had deserved to lose his mother and his brother, as he had neglected them before. He was responsible for their death. He reinforced the main lead’s guilt and shame. Thus the latter got angry and punched Yoon Jae’s wounded arm before giving him money. (chapter 15) He was not allowed to receive affection, though his future lover meant the exact opposite. From my point of view, this was the moment Yoon Jae learned the following lesson: smile is associated to rejection and coldness. This explicates why his facial expression in the motel room (chapter 15) resembles to the one on the rooftop. (chapter 9) Thus the manhwalovers can comprehend why the stockholder Jae was angry at the Jihwaja rabbit (chapter 17), but still was longing for him and his embrace. (chapter 37) One thing is sure. Because of this incident, the executive director learned not to show his affection immediately. So when Lee Yoohan got into trouble at Alice Labyrinth’s, the executive director denied that he had sent the waiter in order to assist him. (chapter 23) However, the readers can grasp that this is not true, for he got annoyed that Lee Yoohan said that he was not expecting any help from him.

5. The true nature of Yoon Jae’s relationship with Yoohan

Because for the executive director, work means everything, he can only reject sponsoring! Why? It is because the latter uses connections and pleasure as basis. This has nothing to do with talent or hard work. The “protégé” just needs to assist his “sponsor” elsewhere. Sponsoring contradicts the values the protagonist is advocating: honest hard work, no reliance on others. And now, if you observe the evolution of the couple, you will realize that the executive director never gave his support for free. There was always a deal between them. Even when he offered the interview, it contained a trap: (chapter 7) Lee Taemin was here cornered. If he had mentioned the incident on the rooftop, the protagonist would have lost his interest in him. However, this pushed the main lead to become proactive and even creative. Then later, it was the same. His help was never for free. (chapter 10) The irony is that here, the debutant didn’t grasp the ambiguity of his words. He could mean that he was selling his body, while in reality he had in his mind to work for the mysterious “helper”. The executive director had already perceived his innocence, hence he indeed offered him a job. (chapter 13) Secondly, Lee Tamin never truly employed his assistance directly. When he made the first phone call to wacko, he asked him to have his manager punished. Why? That way, Song Myungshin’s intervention would be mentioned. This means that Lee Yoohan used more or less the normal way to achieve his goal. That’s the reason why no one has ever made a connection between the executive director and Lee Taemin. The latter always tried to resolve the problems on his own. This could only impress the executive director. He could see that the young man was hard working. Striking is that Jay revealed his attachment and admiration towards Lee Yoohan very early on, because he introduced himself as Jay! (chapter 13) This is quite unusual for Koreans. Moreover, observe that he allowed him to enter his office at Alice Labyrinth’s. This is definitely his hiding place, hence I doubt that he allows strangers to visit him there. Slowly, the executive director Jay allowed Lee Yoohan to visit his private places: first the roof, then his office at Alice’s Labyrinth, the rooftop there too and finally his home.

But why didn’t Lee Yoohan notice his affection for him in the end? First, their mind-sets were different. Lee Yoohan grew up in a family, so he still cared for his mother and brother. He definitely had a big heart, but the problem was his mother was overwhelmed by her situation, raising two children as a single mother. He has always helped others, the perfect example is his relationship with the actor Song Myungshin. He consoled him and helped him to read his lines, he would share his flat with him. As you can see, Lee Yoohan might have been a thug, but he was still a generous man. Therefore it is no wonder that he felt terribly guilty after the loss of his family. And observe how Lee Yoohan reacted, when the director asked him to sleep with him. He let his future lover embrace him while asleep. (chapter 35)

Yoon Jae has never learned to share, as it was about a deal. So far, he never had to take care of a partner. This explicates why his friend gave a suit to the protagonist. (chapter 29) He knew that he had to play cupide.

Another reason for being called a wacko is that Lee Yoohan always had a regular life despite his terrible situation. He didn’t rest much, but his whole week was carefully planned. The time he didn’t spend at work was left to sleep. As you can see, he never neglected his body, thus he has a real home contrary to the main lead. Observe that the main lead noticed the chaos Yoon Jae’s office and home, yet this is not how the actor lives. This means that thanks to the main lead, the weirdo will learn to distance himself from work, and enjoy life. To conclude, though the main leads shared some similarities, they still came from two different worlds: education, life style and family situation. This is no coincidence that “Lee Baekwon” is connected to the pink rabbit. The latter symbolizes innocence, but also love and sexuality. He brought exactly what Yoon Jae had been missing in his childhood. Therefore, the main lead finds life more funny and interesting now.

Another reason is that Lee Yoohan has been betrayed by his ex-lover. So from my point of view, he became disillusioned about love. In the past, he had been fooled by Song Myungshin’s fake tears and affection. Hence I am suspecting that he chose sex with Yoon Jay for that reason. He had realized that sex could be quite superficial. This explicates why he didn’t mind switching position. However, since the stockholder had never fallen in love with someone before, he made the exact opposite experience. He came to see the connection between sex and love. Hence he has this romantic perception of love,. . (chapter 15) This shows that Yoon Jae associates love to faithfulness and strong emotions, but the innocent rookie has long disconnected sex with affection. That’s the reason why he couldn’t see his jealousy (chapter 16) and as such his growing affection towards him.

Striking is that the moment he realizes Lee Taemin’s true identity, he is so happy that he not only smiles, but also blushes. (chapter 37) This picture announces the final transformation of the “wacko”. He is so overjoyed, that he wished to give his lover everything. , (chapter 38): fame, revenge… but also his heart! Thus he added this (chapter 38) He will give him affection and warmth so that he can overcome his loss.

6. The other weirdos

Like mentioned above, the executive director dislikes sponsoring very much, as he is a purist. He only judges people based on their performance and value. He treasures integrity and honesty. This explains why he cleaned the company by firing so many people in the end. (chapter 07) Thus he embodies the opposite values of chairman Kim, who doesn’t care about great movies and realism. Thus he changes scripts or actors. (chapter 23) For him, only his pleasures matter. He uses his money and connections to obtain his goal. He is actually the real monster who will abuse and rape men. (chapter 40) And the actor Song Myungshin is his helping hand who selects the man’s future preys (chapter 40) with fake promises, while he benefits the most by receiving money and support for his career. The manager Choi described them as parasites who take pleasure at the suffering of others: (chapter 40) The actor is not different from chairman Kim, because as long as the others are sacrificed and as such suffering, he will never envy them. Song Myungshin is full of jealousy, and can not bear that someone else can be successful, thus he is determined to ruin the life of others: manager Choi, the talented Lee Hansoo and the rookie Lee Taemin. He perceives everyone as a source of threat due to his insecurities and greed. Since Chairman Kim and Song Myungshin embody rape and prostitution, it is normal that Yoon Jae never forced Lee Yoohan to have sex with him. He is the romantic one through and through, thus he is waiting for a real sign from his lover. Therefore it is no coincidence that he said this to the main lead: (chapter 28) He was signalizing that he wished to have sex with him, he had trouble to wait. (chapter 28) These words expose that for Yoon Jae sex and love were the same thing for him. He couldn’t differentiate them. Hence he can only appear as a wacko to the fake actor and chairman Kim. Therefore Song Myungshin is doomed to failure, he will never be able to seduce the powerful and attractive executive director Yoon Jae.

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

The Ghost’s 🥀 Nocturne: The fragile but powerful prince 🤴💖

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/ghost_nocturne  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link, if you are interested in other manhwas: https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/ And these are the links to the other analyses about The Ghost’s Nocturne: 1. The Mysterious Jae Shin 2. Devoted curses

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First of all, I would like to thank the author for the compliment concerning the first essay. 🥳 And now, you have the answer why I am writing about The Ghost’s Nocturne again. Since I examined Jae Shin first, it is logical to expect that I am now studying the second main lead, Lee Nok. However, if you pay attention to the title, you will recognize that it is actually ambiguous. Prince could be referring to Jae Shin as well, as he is the son of Yeomra, the king of the Underworld. Furthermore, I had already pointed out that Jae Shin has a human side, thus he needs to absorb yin energy to remain strong. Since he is not a God like his father, he is vulnerable, but contrary to Lee Nok, he is immortal. To conclude, the title is a reference to both protagonists. Why`? The reason is simple. In order to portray the Crown prince properly, it is necessary to contrast him to his lover Jae Shin. Through this comparison, the mortal protagonist and his personality can be more fleshed out. To conclude, my main focus is indeed the Crown prince Lee Nok, yet the prince from the afterlife can not be excluded in this analysis as well.

1. Lee Nok’s situation

1. 1. His mother

Lee Nok is the eldest son of the king, thus he was designated as the Crown prince. Striking is that exactly like Jae Shin, he doesn’t have any mother next to him. (chapter 2) Queen Yoon vanished, because she was condemned as a witch. Naturally, her disgrace is linked to Lee Nok’s special situation. His yin energy is so strong that he attracts ghosts which his mother noticed. If the king knew about this, he would definitely see it as a curse. Thus Queen Yoon tried to protect her son with talismans which led to her demise. Because of this incident, the king turned concubine Han into his new Queen. The latter gave birth to a son who definitely represents a threat to Lee Nok. (chapter 8) This explicates why the boy is turning his back to Lee Nok. Their position in this picture already displays the existing rivalry between them which Queen Han is trying to diminish by faking concern and pity for the Crown prince. She seems to take the Crown Prince’s side, for she has to mask her involvement and true intentions: ambition. She is eyeing at the throne. If the main lead was involved in a scandal, the king could decide to nominate his second son as the future Crown prince. As you can see, Lee Nok’s situation is quite fragile and as such precarious. There is no ambiguity that the loss of his mother wounded the Crown prince deeply. We could detect it thanks to Jae Shin. The main lead chose to adopt the cute puppy, as the latter was motherless. (Chapter 7) As you can see, the main lead was projecting his own emotions and thoughts onto the small dog. He feels also abandoned in the palace, as he has no one to rely on. He can not even trust his close aid, the eunuch Ahn, and his love interest, Choi Kyung Joon, as his secrets (sodomy and the ghosts lusting after him) would shock them (disbelief and rejection).

1. 2. The princes and their fathers

What caught my attention is that both main leads were put in the exact situation. Hence Jade and Ananas created similar drawings. (chapter 1) (chapter 2) Both protagonists were sentenced to exile after being put on trial in front of their respective father. While Jae Shin is sent to the mortal world and cursed to live as a puppy during the day, the other prince is no longer allowed to speak to his father and to leave the palace. (chapter 2). Though the verdict looks similar, I come to a different interpretation. How so?

The first difference is the “crime” committed by the two princes. The immortal one is indeed guilty, while the other is actually a victim of dark arts. This simple comparison outlines Lee Nok’s innocence. Moreover, while Jae Shin admitted that he had played with “dark arts” by switching the date of Park (chapter 1), the other is badmouthed to be involved with dark arts through posters. (chapter 2) Yet there is no evidence. I would even add that contrary to Yeomra, the king never gave Lee Nok a choice to defend himself and to determine his fate. How so? As soon as the father read the poster, he accused his son: “What have you been doing that things have come to this?” This means that he believes that there exists a kernel of truth in this rumor. The cause for his mistrust is Lee Nok’s birth mother, the former Queen Yoon. Because his mother was already involved in such a ruckus, the king can only blame the Crown prince, all the more when the latter defends his mother’s honor. (chapter 2) These words could only reinforce the father’s prejudices. He was already guilty by association.

And this is truly important, because this exposes the king’s blindness and stupidity. He puts more value to the insulting posters than to his own son. He is not capable to see his son’s purity and innocence. My avid readers will certainly recall my previous interpretation about Yeomra. Though the immortal god seems to be unfair and merciless towards Jae Shin, his sentence was actually the proof of his love for his son. He wished him to learn a lesson, to recognize that humans are precious and even strong. He wanted him to recognize his human origins, and as such his mother. Hence he sent him to the human world. He needed to interact with humans, so that he would come to understand them. Only through empathy, he can win a human’s heart. However, the king in the mortal world did the exact opposite. Instead of showing the Crown prince to people in order to stop the bad grapevines, he actually isolates him even more than before. The exile is different. It is actually prison. He is not allowed to leave his quarters. Not only he can not speak to his father, but also he can not create connections to officials in the end. Therefore it is no coincidence that Lee Nok describes himself as the Crown Ghost. (chapter 2) No one is able to see his face. His only support and connection to aristocrats is his friend Choi Kyung-Joon, the son of a minister. That’s how powerless the Crown prince is in the palace. He is even surrounded by maids spying for Queen Han. Consequently, I come to the conclusion that Lee Nok’s father represents the negative reflection of Yeomra. He doesn’t send away his son in order to protect him, rather to hide him out of shame and resent. In other words, the king doesn’t love his son contrary to Yeomra. Interesting is that the latter let his son make the choice about his own destiny. Why? He wished to give him the liberty to determine his fate in order to prove him what DESTINY is. (chapter 3). Let’s not forget that the son’s crime had been to change a person’s fate. Striking is that both monarchs believes in fate, but the mortal ruler has a different notion. Since Queen Yoon is viewed as a witch, the son seems to be “tainted”. Moreover, while Yeomra trusts his son, the mortal king behaves differently. In reality, he relies on his wife, Queen Han. Thus he recommended her to Lee Nok (chapter 2), and later he listened to her fake concerns. This shows how easily the king can be manipulated, he is not even realizing that his royal secretary (chapter 2) is working against Lee Nok, while claiming that he will look for the author of these posters. I couldn’t help myself connecting Lee Nok’s seclusion in his quarters to the death of the shaman Yeom: both are “buried alive”. (chapter 13) Hence she can “understand” him. Another proof for this interpretation is the spirit’s following statement: they share the same fate. (chapter 8) The only difference is that the Crown prince is still living. However, for the Queen, it is just a matter of time, until people forget Lee Nok completely so that her son can replace him. At the same time, his isolation can only increase suspicions. And the more he is badmouthed (dark arts or sodomy), the more the king will turn away from his own son. While the king of the hell of tongue ripping wished Jae Shin to recognize his mother, the king of Joseon desired the exact opposite: he should deny his relationship to his birth mother, Queen Yoon. (Chapter 2) Moreover, the god never imposed his will onto Jae Shin. The latter has to discover this himself, whereas the king made the opposite choice.

Another detail caught my attention, both princes value traditions and family very much, hence the “ghost” Jae Shin used filial duty to defend himself (chapter 1). This shows that the ghost has a deep respect for his father in the end. This explains why after his sentence he thought about his father (chapter 1) His words don’t ooze resent, he is more pleading his cause, begging his father to recognize that humans don’t deserve such mercy and care. He trusted his father and his fairness, hence he spoke the truth. He never hid anything from him. As for Lee Nok, despite the father’s verdict, he still follows social norms. He accepts his father’s order. Then despite the rejection, he tried to see his father, and he even went to the Queen’s palace to greet her. He acts like an obedient and dutiful son. Finally, he tried to defend his mother’s honor, as he knew that she had sacrificed herself for him. I am convinced that he must feel guilty for her disgrace.

To conclude, Lee Nok’s father contrasts so much to Yeomra: biased, blind, full of resent towards his own son due to Queen Yoon and totally naive. On the other hand, I believe that he views himself as fair, for he is protecting his young Queen. (Chapter 8) This truly displays that he had no faith in his son, for in the king’s eyes, the prince is ignorant about Queen Han’s good nature. To sum up, Lee Nok is rejected by his own father, he has no one to rely on. He might have loyal servants like inspector So-Rib (chapter 2) or Eunuch Ahn, but the latter have no real power in the palace. Furthermore, he can not confide to them everything. He is not loved which stands in opposition to Jae Shin who grew up as a spoiled prince.

Besides, Lee Nok is constantly observed, as he is followed by servants. Therefore it is no coincidence that he likes being alone. (Chapter 2) That’s the moment he can finally breathe. This corresponds to the situation of being buried alive which I mentioned above. Since he is surrounded by maids, he has no privacy. But contrary to the Queen and the king, he has no real control over his staff. Due to his innocence and purity, he is not aware that one of his maids is reporting to Queen Han. He is definitely cautious, but he is not cunning enough to anticipate the Queen’s moves. As the manhwaphiles could sense, Lee Nok is indeed a fragile and lonely prince.

2. Lee Nok’s love

However, he is powerful. How so? It is because he has Jae Shin’s fate in his hand. (Chapter 1) Imagine that he can control someone from the afterlife. But the problem is that he is not aware of his power, as he has no idea about Jae Shin’s curse. Yeomra’s son can not return to his father’s side, as long as he had not won Lee Nok’s heart. On the other hand, the immortal prince has no intention to reveal his secret to Lee Nok, because if so, he would become his puppet. This explicates why in chapter 18, Jae Shin treats the Crown prince like an object. (chapter 18) He is masking his own vulnerability, at the same time he gives the impression that Lee Nok has no other choice than to depend on him. He is trying to turn the tables in the end.

Nevertheless I had mentioned above that he was his destined partner. How can I prove now this theory? The readers should question themselves why Lee Nok is the only one who can ooze such a yin energy and this is exactly what Jae Shin needs. (Chapter 4) Besides, according to me, Yeomra fell in love with a human, this means that his action affected the mortal world, so he has to restore the harmony in the mortal realm. But the problem is that Lee Nok is already in love with his childhood friend Choi Kyung-Joon. So the main lead might have become the Crown prince’s sex partner, but he has not conquered his heart yet. Nevertheless, it is just a matter of time. The irony is that humans are mortals, hence their time is limited. This shows that Jae Shin is actually working against time. He could end up living as a puppy forever. So he is also weak, totally depending on Lee Nok’s heart and good will.

The Crown prince could demonstrate his power to the ghost, when he stabbed him. (Chapter 16) The latter might have not died, but he lost his yin energy. Thus he lost his strength. Only the Crown prince could heal him.

Striking is that Yeom described Lee Nok as straight and narrow, hence his love is the same. (Chapter 13) Why would she say that? First, Lee Nok is aware that his friend hates sodomy. (Chapter 3) Hence he is forced to hide his affection from him. This means that he can never be honest to Choi Kyung-Joon, yet like already pointed out above, the Crown prince embodies innocence and as such honesty. This means that his lack of honesty towards his loved one can only wound his heart. So far, the Crown prince could never outlive his sexual orientation, for he had no partner at all. Thus he could still maintain his image in front of his loved one. This hopeless love gave him a certain strength. (Chapter 9) This outlines the mortal’s power.

However, the more Lee Nok interacts with Jae Shin and the more he feels pleasure with him, the more he will distance himself from the scholar. Homosexuality can only create a riff between the friends. The reason is simple. He can detect more and more his friend’s flaws. That’s the reason why the spirit described The Crown Prince as “narrow”. He values loyalty very much, so once betrayed, there is no forgiveness or turning back. For me, his vision is either white or black. Lee Nok learned it through the hard way due to his mother’s downfall. He also witnessed that the king and Queen Han are not on his side. And this leads me to the following observation: the scholar is close to the Crown prince for his own interests. That’s the reason why Yeom said this: (chapter 13) The friends can not become lovers, as this would represent a threat to them. However, there is no ambiguity that Choi Kyung-Joon is aware of the Crown prince’s affection and he is taking advantage of it. By using social norms, rejection of sodomy, he can keep his distance from Lee Nok, but still maintain his relationship with him. How did I come up with this interpretation?

We have two scenes revealing his selfishness and ambition. First, when he meets Jae Shin for the first time, he acts, as if he was powerful, as if he was the Crown prince. (Chapter 3) Note that he is using the personal pronoun “I”, while in reality he is just usurping the Crown Prince’s authority. (Chapter 3) He was definitely arrogant, selfish and intolerant in that scene. He didn’t pay attention that his friend was not feeling well the whole time. Secondly, with such an attitude, he could create a ruckus for the Crown prince and damage his reputation. (Chapter 3) They were in a gibang, and note that the poster was released shortly after this visitation. Finally, Jae Shin was already hinting about Lee Nok’s love to Choi Kyung-Joon (chapter 3) It was clear that he was designating his companion, as their path crossed there for the first time. But since the ghost was just insinuating, the other could still feign ignorance. However, despite this warning, the minister’s son didn’t change his attitude. In fact, he became even more caring and gentle than before. Moreover, observe that when the main lead was summoned to his father, Choi Kyung-Joon never asked for an audience and speak up for his friend. (chapter 2) Where was he? Lee Nok was on his own.

Third, though he is the son of a minister, he only passed the first stage of the civil service examination. (chapter 10) Thanks to Painter Of The Night, we all know that this exam has more rounds. Why did he not pass the second round? In my opinion, it is because he is relying on Lee Nok’s support. This shows that he is not determined to become a high official on his own merit. That’s the reason why he is close to the Crown prince in the end. His well-being is his ticket to get power. (Chapter 9) But since Queen Han sent someone to tail the childhood friend, it is only a matter of time, until jinsa Choi realizes that he can obtain more, if he supports Queen Han. Besides, if he detects that Lee Nok is hiding things from him, he can utilize this as a sign that he is losing favors. And the moment he switches sides, Lee Nok won’t be able to forgive him. But there exists another possibility how their friendship can get ruined, Choi Kyung-Joon’s attitude represents a problem itself, which I had already outlined above. He almost caused a ruckus in the gibang, then he didn’t try to defend his friend in front of the father, and finally, he made another huge mistake. He let Lee Nok sleep outside. (chapter 10) Though his advices sound selfless and great, they are actually terrible. How could he leave the room, after the prince had fallen asleep? He should have left before. Then he makes sure that no one sees him. This can create a misunderstanding. Why did they do there together? So the moment there is a rumor that Lee Nok is a sodomite, the minister’s son could get suspected. So in order to save his skin, he could betray his friend and testify against him. He saw the hickeys. (chapter 09) To conclude, Choi Kyung-Joon is just a good weather friend. So if Lee Nok were to lose his status as Crown prince, I am convinced that the scholar will turn his back on the protagonist. He still has other options left to achieve his goal.

On the other hand, Jae Shin stands in the opposite situation. Only Lee Nok can help him to put an end to his sentence. Thus he has to curry favors to the Crown Prince. (Chapter 13) This is important, because Jae Shin is powerful contrary to the childhood friend. He can use his connection from the afterlife: his brothers, Yeom and the ghosts. And contrary to the minister’s son, his movements can not be detected first. As an investigator, he can unveil how Queen Han used ghosts to ruin Lee Nok by altering the book of names. The ghosts remained in the mortal world, (chapter 15) because they were not fetched by the warden and messenger to the deceased. (chapter 15) The reason is simple. They were not supposed to die.

Through this investigation, he will realize the consequences of his wrongdoing. (Chapter 13) Remember that he questioned Yeom’s choice, as she had not accepted the tragic death of her loved ones which was in his eyes predestinated. (chapter 13) Like his father, he believes in fate, not realizing that his sin is the evidence that destiny can be changed. From my perspective, this change of heart and conviction can only happen, when he discovers that someone else committed the same crime affecting him directly. Interesting is that Yeom serves as a mother figure to Jae Shin. Despite his rejection, he still followed her advice. He trusted her words, when she said this: (chapter 13) He recognized the truth in her words. This shows that through Jae Shin, Lee Nok can gain powers. Indirectly, the latter is also receiving the help of the mother figure, Yeom. The punished prince can give orders to ghosts, he can chase away evil spirits and as such put an end of Queen Han’s influence. Moreover, thanks to his loving brothers, Jae Shin can get an access to the book of names and know about people’s fate. (Chapter 15) He doesn’t necessarily needs to interfere directly, his knowledge can help Lee Nok (for example the king’s passing). Remember the saying: knowledge is power. As a puppy, Jae Shin can tail Choi Kyung-Joon too, and he won’t be suspected, as a white puppy is supposed to chase away evil spirits. In fact, the friend knows how Lee Nok cherishes the dog, so he has no interests to mistreat or suspect him. This shows that the Crown prince has powers in the afterlife, and his purity is his strength.

Finally, I would like to point out that Lee Nok represents the evidence of Jae Shin’s misjudgment about humans. When he complained to his father about the rudeness of mortals (chapter 1), the Crown Prince took pity on him (chapter 2) and chose to protect him. Despite his status, he showed humbleness. But this doesn’t end here. He shared not only his bed and his food with him, but also his secrets. . (Chapter 2) Jae Shin had already become his confident. And this leads me to my final conclusion: Lee Nok is strong because of his huge heart too. He is neither arrogant nor selfish, and he has not such a negative view about humans and life in general, more about ghosts, the cause for his suffering. For me, he has never lost hope. He contrasts so much to his lover, thus he can teach him these values and change him. On the other hand, Jae Shin can give the Crown prince what he has been missing the most: a true home thanks to his affection and support.

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

Jinx: Hot Boys! 🥊😎 (10 pictures)

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/jinx_en  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex, https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/21/who-are-you-the-significance-of-masks-in-manhwas/ Here is the link of the table of contents about JinxHere is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas Here is the link to the previous analysis of Jinx:Why Kim Dan? (10 pictures)Why Kim Dan? (full version)

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While I kept reading chapter 7, I couldn’t help myself noticing a recurrent topic: HOT! I had this in my mind, because in my previous analysis I had predicted the arrival of “hot boys” which would arouse Joo Jaekyung’s jealousy. And this did come true. However, I had overlooked one important element, the different significations about “Hot”. That’s the reason why in this essay, I will examine the different aspects of “Hot” which are reflected through different male figures in this episode.

1. Definition of “HOT”

  1. having a high temperature
  2. hot adjective (SPICY) used to describe food that causes a burning feeling in the mouth:
  3. hot adjective (CAUSING DISAGREEMENT) used to describe a subject that causes a lot of disagreement or discussion:
  4. hot adjective (NEW/EXCITING)
  5. hot adjective (SKILFUL) knowing a lot or skilful:
  6. hot adjective (MOST LIKELY)hot tip (informal): an accurate piece of advice about who will win a race / hot favourite UK: the person or animal that is most likely to win a race, competition, election, etc.:
  7. hot adjective (DEMANDING): to be hot on something
  8. hot adjective (STOLEN) (slang)
  9. hot adjective (SEXY)
  10. hot adjective (ANGRY): hot temper Quoted from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hot
  11. to be hot on someone’s track/trail to be very close to catching or finding someone Quoted from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/be-hot-on-track-trail

I am quite certain, when my followers read the selected title “Hot Boys”, they imagined that I was referring to sexy men (def. 9). However, after reading the definition of Hot, the avid readers are slowly getting aware that chapter 7 was actually illustrating the different notions of HOT!

2. The boxers from Black Team

What caught my attention is that when the physical therapist was introduced to Black Team, the fighters showed an interest and admiration in the doctor.  (chapter 7) For them, Kim Dan became a hot topic among the staff (def. 4).  (chapter 7) Then they recognized his skills immediately (“He’s a totally different weight class. Definitely won’t be easy”). He not only looked young, but also was skillful (def. 5) Hence one member made the following request that the doctor should treat them too. This is important, because thanks to the manager and coach, the gentle Kim Dan was welcome properly. He was accepted as a member of their team, though he didn’t have his uniform yet. Consequently, it is not surprising that the moment the protagonist offered his help to an injured fighter, the other boxers came to his side, and wished to be examined too. (chapter 7) They never looked down on him which stands in opposition to the protagonist Joo Jaekyung. For the “hot boys”, Kim Dan was their “hyung” and secondly he was a doctor. Hence I deduce that Black Team will play an important role in the therapist’s life, for he will get friends there. That’s how I realized why the author chose to contrast the pervert director to Joo Jaekyung in the end.  (chapter 1) The latter used his position to isolate the main lead and put the blame on him. As you can imagine, I am expecting the opposite in Black Team. If something happens, they will side with Kim Dan, because the latter treated them well contrary to the champion.  (chapter 1) Though his contract is stipulating that he just needs to treat the champion (chapter 7), he acted differently, as he treated the other boxers. He was selfless, and the other hot boys could witness it. In their eyes, Kim Dan is definitely a hot boy (def. 4.-5-9)!

3. Hyung manager

Like I had already mentioned in the previous analyses, the hyung has a huge influence on the champion Joo Jaekyung. First, I would like to point out that the coach called his members “punks” (chapter 7), exactly like his fighter Joo Jaekyung (chapter 1). However, I believe that there exists a difference. The champion came to take this expression literally, hence he shows a certain arrogance which is not the case for the coach. Nevertheless, the athlete respects the coach. The former never retaliated, when the hyung scolded him after smacking his back.  (chapter 7) This displays that the coach can control the famous sportsman. However, the latter refused to callhis therapist hyung. But why? It is because from now on, Joo Jaehyung is no longer the senior/sunbae among the fighters in the club! He lost his privileged position as “hyung” to Kim Dan. Pay attention to the way his colleague called him: “hyung” (chapter 7) This means that he has to call Kim Dan hyung like the other fighters now. And now, you comprehend his reluctance to address Kim Dan properly.  (chapter 7) It was, as if he didn’t want to lose his title “hyung” to the physical therapist. And this leads me to the following observation: Kim Dan became the hot topic between the protagonist and the coach (def. 3). And it is only a question of time, until hyung discovers the existence of the deal between the two protagonists. In this scene, he is hot on his athlete’s trail for his arrogance and disrespect towards people. (def. 11)

The full version contains 2 more parts: Kim Dan and Joo Jaekyung. If you want to read it, contact me like mentioned below.

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

Beta Off Not Dating: “I’m a beta.” β 🙃

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.tappytoon.com/en/book/beta-off-not-dating But be aware that this manhwa is a Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality. Here is the link, if you are interested in other manhwas: https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/ Here is the link to the second essay about Beta Off Not Dating: The lovely Mr. K….

It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33  That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.

For the first time, I am examining not only an omegaverse manhwa, but also a comedy. So far, all my stories were full of tragedies 😭 and violence 🩸 . Hence you are probably wondering why I selected this story so suddenly. Naturally, it is to promote this manhwa, as it is a real gem in my eyes. This is originally a novel from MINTRAN, which Doojja and Saena turned into a terrific manhwa. However, there was a reason why I never dwelled on burlesques. Their function is merely to divert the readers with jokes and comical situations, so it was rather pointless to analyze the behavior of the characters and their evolution. Yet, Beta Off Not Dating is more than just a funny story. Actually, the authors are making fun of the omegaverse genre. At the same time, the work is criticizing the negative role of stereotypes and prejudices. To sum up, the work is a satire.

1. The Omegaverse world

In case you are unfamiliar with this “world”, let me give you a brief introduction. In the Omegaverse world, there exist 3 types of humans (chapter 1) and in this society, the alphas are at the top of the hierarchy, while the omegas are at the bottom. This explicates why alphas are either CEO or school principals or professors due to their intelligence, while the omegas are “housewives” (chapter 1), for they have problems to find a job due to their heat cycles. The male omegas have the possibility to give birth to children, and their mates are alphas like mentioned in the illustration above. The attraction between omegas and alphas is mutual, especially when the omegas are in heat. They can not control their reactions, hence they need to take medicine called suppressants or inhibitors. It was, as if they were behaving like animals. The moment an alpha get bonded to an omega by biting his neck, they can never be separated. In certain stories, it goes so far that distance or separation can become deadly. As for the alphas, they also have a cycle called rut, and exactly like their counterpart, they can not control their libido. Another characteristic of the alphas and omegas is their phemorones, exposing their heat cycle or their emotions and desires. In this scene, (chapter 12) the terrible Seo Heetae, an alpha, is spreading his phemorones on the protagonist Kim Juhyeok out of anger and jealousy. This signifies that betas distinguish themselves from alphas and omegas, for they don’t possess such abilities. They are not so strong or „intelligent“ compared to the alphas, and they can not detect phemorones. On the other hand, they are not vulnerable contrary to the omegas who actually need the protection of an alpha. To sum up, betas are simply average. However, they make up a large part of society. This means our main lead, Kim Juhyeok, is a beta. And here is the next question. How does the protagonist view himself compared to alphas and omegas?

2. Kim Juhyeok

We get a first answer with this illustration. (chapter 1) The man oozes pride and confidence, as he is seen smiling with stars and bright colors in the background. This means that he doesn’t consider himself inferior to the others. Why? First, due to his hard working attitude, he became the representative of the new employees. (chapter 1) This shows that he could distinguish himself from all the other betas. Striking is that this cute man is full of ambition. His goal is to surpass alphas and omegas. (chapter 1) It was, as if he wanted to make his name known. Let’s not forget that betas are considered as the normality, as the crowd. As you can sense, Kim Juhyeok has a competitive attitude which reminds us of the alphas. Hence it is not surprising that when he got on stage as the representative, he caught the attention of the alpha, Lee Sihyeon, the second main lead. To conclude, Kim Juhyeok is different from all the other betas, as he is trying to compete with alphas and omegas.

This explains why the beta is rejecting dates and offers from omegas and alphas, for he sees them more as rivals. That’s the reason why the title is “Beta off not dating”. In this illustration, Kim Juhyeok is pushing the alpha Lee Sihyeon away by putting his hands on his mouth. This shows that he is determined not to date anyone. And this observation leads to me to the next inquiry: Why is the young man desiring to remain single, for he could date a beta? (chapter 14) His reply is that it is a long story. As you can see, he has many reasons for putting a wall between himself and the others.

3. His reasons

However, it is important to make a distinction between unconscious and conscious choice. Let’s not forget that each decision is always influenced by the subconscious, though a person will have the impression that it was a conscious decision. The way the characters were raised or their past experiences play a huge role in the choices they make. Kim Juhyeok is definitely no exception.

3. 1. His ignorance about alphas and omegas

His rejection for dating anyone is related to the fact that he had barely contact with alphas and omegas in his childhood. (chapter 1) And it looks like it was not different, when he went to college. (chapter 1) However, this is actually a deception. Kim Juhyeok was friend with an alpha, the actual actor Seol Gido!! This truly shows that he already came in contact with omegas and alphas at the university, yet he didn’t pay too much attention to them. He only started showing an interest in them, when he began working at the company. (chapter 1) The readers can grasp that he only got informed about alphas and omegas through books… it went so far that he watched k-dramas and porn movies which can’t be considered as a serious source of information. 😂As you can sense, Kim Juhyeok developed prejudices about the alphas and omegas to the point that he claims that the world is only revolving around alphas and omegas. In other words, he feels suffocated and threatened by them. Therefore his dream is to leave the country and go to Hawaii, (chapter 1) where he can live in seclusion. Hence he is seen alone here.

3. 2. Seol Gido’s influence

But why did he only start showing an interest in the two other types because of his work and not before? It is related to his friend Seol Gido. The latter had already marked him as his “prey”. He made sure to get rid of any potential rival. If Kim Juhyeok had the impression that someone was attracted to him, the alpha would convince him that he was just misinterpreting the situation: (chapter 4) Since the beta can not detect the presence of phemorones, he never realized the truth behind his friend’s trick to chase his potential rivals: (chapter 4) He was always informed afterwards. Seol Gido just needed to fake the excuse to be drunk to release his pheromones to claim Kim Juhyeok as his own. One might argue with this interpretation, because Seol Gido has a girlfriend. (chapter 7) But if this was true, why did he spend the night at his friend’s place and not at his partner’s? Besides, if so, he should have first gone to his friend, then later to his girlfriend. The order exposes the importance of Juhyeok in Seol Gido’s life. And this observation leads me to the following deduction: Kim Juhyeok is just a pure and innocent man who had never the opportunity to date anyone. He is literally clueless, hence he relies on his acquaintance’s advices. (chapter 4) However, the latter is definitely deceiving him. I would even add that he convinced the main figure that alphas would only date omegas. This panel exposes the misinformation. He can not imagine that a relationship between beta and omega or alpha with a beta is possible. We can see the actor’s influence in this scene. (chapter 4) The young man is not realizing that his neighbor, an alpha, is flirting with him. Observe how the actor reacted. He bumped into the guy on purpose (chapter 4), and though he heard the neighbor’s despair, he never revealed the truth to his friend. This shows that Kim Juhyeok has no idea about seduction and flirting, because Seol Gido messed up his perception, which he called “delusion”. (chapter 4) But this doesn’t end here. From my point of view, Seol Gido is not just dishonest to his friend, but also to himself, for he never made a move on him. He is well aware that he has no intention of dating anyone which can only be beneficial for the actor. (chapter 4) That way, the latter has the impression that he is possessing him. I am even suspecting that he could have played a role in this decision, as this question is requesting for an affirmation.

3. 3. Alphas and omegas at work

There is another reason why the main lead felt repulsed by relationship and love. It is because the only relationship he witnessed is the messy “marriage” of the alpha Seo Heetae and his spouse Lee Hyeonjae. (chapter 1) Yes, they are a couple!! So when the main lead saw this, his first reaction was to call the police: (chapter 1) 😂 Because of this couple, work gets affected, therefore the diligent representative can only be annoyed. This represents a threat to his own dream, surpass alphas and omegas. This is palpable in this quote: (chapter 1) For Kim Juhyeok, alphas and omegas behave like animals, for their behavior has such a negative influence on the company.

To conclude, the protagonist had a false perception not only of alphas and omegas, but also of love. In his eyes, everything is messy and full of violence. Seo Heetae couldn’t control himself and had a relationship with another omega, while he was quite possessive and authoritative with his own spouse. (chapter 1) This is what he said to his “wife” Lee Hyeonjae after slapping him. Besides, the heat cycle of omegas represents a huge hindrance. (chapter 2) Because of this incident, the betas, including Kim Juhyeok, are forced to work overtime!! I also believe this incident pushed Juhyeok to buy an inhibitor for omegas. that way, he would prevent a huge uproar in the company. Hence when he met Lee Sihyeon’s cousin, the omega Ha Weonyi for the first time, he offered him the suppressant. That’s how the cute omega fell in love with him! (chapter 2) The main lead seems so gentle and selfless, while in reality it was for his own peace of mind. As you can detect, their behavior stands in opposition to the protagonist’s philosophy and work ethics. The latter values work very much, as that way he can distinguish himself from others.

Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why it took the protagonist a while before he realized that director Lee had developed an affection for him. The former would visit him each morning, while the latter would look at a picture of his dream destination (chapter 1) The hand on his shoulder was a sign of seduction and affection, even his offer, but the young beta never perceived it that way. He was simply annoyed. All the department was aware of director Lee’s feelings for Juhyeok except the concerned. He only discovered the truth, because his colleague Mister Kang voiced it: (chapter 4) However, here the protagonist had not rejected his superior, the latter was upset, because he had detected phemorones from Seol Gido on him. Hence Lee Sihyeon had spread his own heat phemorones on Juhyeok. And that’s how he got mistaken for an alpha by Ha Weonyi! (chapter 6) The irony is that when he had helped him with the suppressants, his cousin saw Juhyeok with them, and got his hopes up that Juhyeok could be indeed an omega. (chapter 2) In other words, due to his interaction with Lee Sihyeon and Ha Weonyi, Kim Juhyeok’s identity got questioned: was he an alpha or an omega? At the same time, he was encouraged to interact more and more with Lee Sihyeon and Ha Weonyi. This is important, because that way, he can finally drop his prejudices about alphas and omegas.

3. 4. His unveiled motivation

However, in my eyes, everything mentioned above are just superficial points Kim Juhyeok brought up. He has a different justification. In reality, he was not entirely honest. And this was truly visible in chapter 14, which was quite eye-opening to me. (chapter 14) As the manhwaphiles can detect, this image stands in opposition to the first panel: (chapter 1) The grey, the absence of the smile and the profile expose the resignation of the main lead! He views his “type” as a hindrance. But why? It is related to LOVE! Our pure and innocent man is a pure romantic!! He envies the alphas and omegas for their fated love! (chapter 14) This means that Juhyeok is longing for a cheesy and amazing relationship, but he has the impression that this can never happen to him!! It is only reserved for alphas and omegas… and now, you comprehend why he doesn’t desire to date anyone. In his eyes, this will never be a fated love! This means that he wished to have secret marks on his body, but he will never admit it so openly. Hence this scene in chapter 1 should be perceived differently. When he saw the bite marks on the omega manager Lee, he expressed his displeasure internally (chapter 1), yet deep down he felt jealous. This explicates why after this discovery, he wished more than ever to leave the company. (chapter 1) Far away from anyone, he won’t be confronted with envy and regret!! In other words, he doesn’t wish to have an ordinary love life which is perceptible in the following words: (chapter 14) Here, he implied that dating with a beta wouldn’t trigger deep emotions, as it is not “fated”. I detected a contradiction too. The only couples he mentioned so far were alphas-omegas. So far, he reproaches the couple to yell and weep constantly, yet he says that their relationship is fated. As you can see, in truth he envies them. And this shows that deep down, the main lead is suffering from inferiority complex which was already palpable with his desire to surpass alphas and omegas. Deep down, he did feel inferior to them. Under this new light, he becomes comprehensible why he feels the need to run away from alphas and omegas.

However, there is no ambiguity that the main lead has always felt an attraction to alphas due to their big hands and strong bodies. (chapter 10) The irony is that in the last scene, Sihyeon only paid more attention to the end of the sentence than the beginning: the omegas were all small, pale and cute! Consequently, he got jealous after hearing his love interest’s words! Yet, Juhyeok was actually praising him.

But why are the alphas and omegas attracted to the beta Juhyeok in the end? It is because he oozes firmness and concern in front of an omega, he is very protective in a gentle way, while in front of an alpha he appears full of confidence, yet simultaneously very innocent and vulnerable!! We have the perfect illustration with Lee Sihyeon in this scene. (chapter 10) He grabbed his hand and led him, which is not something an omega would do. Yet, Juhyeok’s words oozed innocence! And since his dream is to be loved, and even to have a fated love, it is not surprising that he is already falling for Lee Sihyeon. He was the first one who confessed to him so plainly!! He was disappointed, when he thought that the director was not keeping his words. (chapter 14).The director Lee Sihyeon will do anything to woo his “prey”, the beta Kim Juhyeok. Exactly like Seol Gido, he chose a different approach: they are now friends! That way, he hopes that the young beta will put down his guard. (chapter 14) And observe that Sihyeon’s speech was similar to Seol Gido!! He also asked for a confirmation from the protagonist, that’s how both alphas are “influencing” the beta! However, contrary to the actor, Lee Sihyeon is more honest. He warned the beta not to trust the alphas, including himself. Another difference is that he is more straightforward than the actor. He definitely uses physical contact to break “the ice”. (chapter 13)

This means that Lee Sihyeon can win the beta’s heart, if he is able to incite the latter to give up on his prejudices about alphas and omegas and their fated love. He can have a fated love too, since he had no partner before, and I assume that it was the case for the director Lee. Ha Weonyi is the perfect example that alphas or omegas can choose their partners, they are not forced to select an omega or an alpha. (chapter 14) Ha Weonyi prefers betas over alphas, as the latter seem to be rude, arrogant and self-centered. His cousin even added that he would attract “weird alphas”. From my point of view, this will take place, because thanks to his interaction with the two cousins, Sihyeon and Weonyi, Kim Juhyeok will judge them as humans and no longer as alphas or omegas!! Yes, the major flaw of the protagonist is to lump alphas and omegas together. He needs to stop viewing people as a crowd, and starts perceiving them as individuals. Finally, since director Lee is the main lead’s superior, he can contribute that their “affection” doesn’t affect Juhyeok’s work and his philosophy. In fact, he can help him to achieve his goal, to become a role model for alphas and omegas!

I hope that this short essay about “Beta Off Not Dating” gave you the desire to read the manhwa. And if this analysis is a success, then I will write about it again.

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

Jinx: Why Kim Dan?🍭 (10 pictures)

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa.   https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/jinx_en  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex, https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/21/who-are-you-the-significance-of-masks-in-manhwas/ Here is the link of the table of contents about Jinx. Here is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas Here is the link to the third analysis of Jinx: My hero (only 10 pictures) and My hero (full version) – locked

It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33  That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.

Announcement: I updated the essay “My hero 🤠”!!

The readers must have been wondering why the famous Joo Jaekyung would select him as his new partner (chapter 6), while he had called him before a wimp. (Chapter 1) It looked like the champion was looking down on the main lead. With such an insult, the sportsman was implying that the physical therapist was no real man. As you can see, the famous athlete was contradicting himself. Why would he choose a “wimp” as an ideal “lover”? One might say that it is related to his lack of resistance. As a wimp, Kim Dan would never dare to refuse or reject him. It would be easy to control him as well. Nevertheless, what caught my attention is the expression from Joo Jaekyung: “in many ways”. This idiom alludes that the “hero” had many reasons to choose Kim Dan as his new partner. But what are they exactly? In this essay, I will attempt to answer this question. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t overlook that there exist other causes for his selection which Joo Jaekyung is not aware of.

1. Joo Jaekyung’s choice: conscious or not conscious?

First, although we are dealing with fictive characters, this doesn’t mean that they are not thinking and feeling like humans. Hence it is important to remember that each choice is influenced by the subconscious, though a person will have the impression that it was a conscious decision. The way we were raised or our past experiences play a huge role in the choices we make. In other words, our surroundings determine our decisions to a certain extent. Hence philosophers from determinism current deny the existence of true free will. [For more read the essay “Fate or liberty?”] With this simple observation, you have the first answer why Joo Jaekyung would express a certain disdain for Kim Dan, yet he would still ask for his services. In truth, the champion felt attracted to Kim Dan right from the start. In reality, he has a favorite type. His previous partners resemble a lot to Kim Dan. (chapter 5) This explains why he didn’t reject the main lead as his doctor right away contrary to the past. (chapter 5) Hence we could say that he was already under Kim Dan’s spell at the gym. (chapter 1) Hence he looked at him intensely first.

2. The origins of his attractiveness

After this first elaboration, the manhwalovers can grasp why the champion didn’t feel the need to punch the physical therapist after being touched inappropriately. This image was actually representing the uke’s vision (chapter 1), he feared to have triggered the boxer’s fury. Yet, the man was actually pretty calm. (chapter 1) He was rather surprised by his reaction. Notice how relaxed his body is, as he is using his arms to sit up. Striking is that after hearing the main lead’s question, Kim Dan blushed out of embarrassment. (chapter 1) Not only he had made a stupid mistake, but he had also overreacted. He had been on the verge of crying, for he feared the fighter’s rage and brutality. Nevertheless, he never paid attention to his client’s behavior. The latter was observing him, for he had detected his tears right away. Then this was his reaction, when he witnessed the doctor’s reddening: (chapter 1) He was left speechless again!! The three points of suspension exposes not only his surprise, but also his curiosity. His attitude displays that he has never met such a behavior before. He would almost cry and even blush… And the author left an evidence for this interpretation. I would like the manhwalovers to take a closer look at the previous sex partners: (chapter 2) (chapter 5) They would all smile and even try to seduce him with their gestures and bodies. But Kim Dan was acting the exact opposite. He would even hide his body with his hands (chapter 1), he would tremble in front of him and at the end he would run away (chapter 1)!! Imagine that just before departing, he turned his back on the athlete while wishing him a good day. That’s not the way you are supposed to bid goodbye. 😂 He was running away. That’s the reason why Joo Jaekyung called him a wimp!! As the readers can detect, he was behaving the opposite to the previous lovers, while he would look similar to them. On the other hand, I would like the readers to analyze the boxer’s reaction, when he witnessed this scene. (chapter 1) Once again, we have the points of suspension. This indicates that the uke’s behavior made him pensive again. He got his attention. But there is more to it. One of his eye-brows is slightly raised, leaving a mark on the forehead. This gesture is relevant, as psychologists discovered that raising only one eye-brow is a sign of dominance. This exposes the fighter’s personality. Yet, I believed that this gesture also divulged his interest in Kim Dan. He was intrigued by such an attitude, this is something he had never experienced before too. So far, people would express their admiration, they would never turn their back on him, like we could witness in the flat with the lover. To conclude, the saying “opposite attracts” is present in their relationship which reminds me of Taoism. Yin and yang complete each other. Moreover, I would like that the celebrity didn’t just call Kim Dan a wimp, this is exactly what he said: “What a little wimp.” The adjective “little” softens the negative description. Besides, the author never revealed the fighter’s facial expression. Why? It is because the readers would have detected his interest in Kim Dan right away.

Since Kim Dan was added in the calendar from Lezhin as “rabbit”, I couldn’t help myself connecting the gentle physical therapist to a white rabbit! 🐰 And the latter would tremble in tears in front of the tiger and run away at the first opportunity! (chapter 1) In other words, the protagonist’s attitude had aroused the predator’s instincts. And this perception of a hunt was visible, when the young man left the champion’s flat silently. This is what Joo Jaekyung said, when he discovered his departure: (chapter 4) He considered his vanishing as an entertainment. At the same time, it also exposes that the previous sex partners would clinch onto him in the past. He had to make them leave. But keep in mind about his explanation for his constant switch of sex partners: (chapter 5) He had detected the difference between the physical therapist and the others, but not realized that all his partners were similar. As you can see, Joo Jaekyung was not truly aware of his own attraction. Finally, let’s not forget that just before leaving the room, Kim Dan showed his back to the fighter. (chapter 1), hence Joo Jaekyung’s gaze could only get triggered to look at the main lead’s figure. This explicates why in his penthouse, he starred at the doctor’s back once again. (chapter 2) He had done it before, but now, he could finally see the young man’s butt contrary to the past, as the bag was no longer hindering his view!! Under this new approach, the readers can comprehend why the champion had added the doctor’s number in his cellphone. He had already planned to have him as his sex partner at some point. (chapter 1) This smirk exposes that this call was not sudden. He was intrigued, lusting after something new. Nevertheless, in his eyes, everything was going according to his plan, thus he smirked. Money and his fame would do the trick. Yet, contrary to all the previous bed companions, the athlete is offering a different deal to Kim Dan. (chapter 6) The latter has to have sex with him, when the champion feels like it. It is no longer related his jinx and his ritual to have sex before a match. But why so? One might say that it is related to the uke’s request: 14.000 dollars in exchange for his services! If Joo Jaekyung had not added this condition, this means that the physical therapist would have the upper hand with the deal in the end. Kim Dan would have used him like his ATM-machine.

3. Dan’s particularities

However, there exists another huge reason why the seme became obsessed with the physical doctor. During their first encounter, he saw the main lead in tears: (chapter 4) This had definitely never happened before. This image caught him so much by surprise that he kept it as a memory (chapter 6) Besides, right after he expressed his satisfaction. (chapter 4) In my eyes, since he had never felt this good before, he jumped to the conclusion afterwards that Kim Dan must have felt the same way. Let’s not forget that Kim Dan never voiced his displeasure, he just explained that he had been startled. Though initially he was quite upset by his lover’s reaction (chapter 4), I believe that later he must have memorized this weeping as something positive. Why? It is because he had felt pleasure, and as a rather self-centered person, he must have projected his emotions and thoughts onto the uke. Furthermore, at no moment Kim Dan expressed his true emotions and thoughts. Thus I think that later he imagined that out of pleasure, Kim had tears. Naturally, this was out of convenience. Yet this is not true, for the poor man recalls it as a nightmare. Therefore you comprehend why Joo Jaekyung felt so revigorated after this long night, he thought that he must have impressed the main lead with his performance. (chapter 5) He proved his masculinity, and the latter seems to me to be as one of the reasons for Joo Jaekyung’s violence and roughness in bed. Thanks to his “skills” or “huge phallus”, he had brought him to tears out of rapture. No wonder why he became so pissed off, when the young man was avoiding him afterwards. (chapter 5) But why did Joo Jaekyung feel so good with the uke in the end? It is because it was the physical therapist’s first time! But the stupid champion didn’t realize it, for he had trusted the physical therapist’s words. On the other hand, I would like the manhwalovers to keep in their mind that one of the major flaws from Joo Jaekyung is his self-deception. He believes what he wants to see. Out of comfort, he prefers having a young lover with experiences. That way, he can call them whores! But this image proves to me that he had sensed the young man’s innocence. (chapter 3) However, his lust after the physical therapist was so strong that he would have even accepted to have sex with a virgin. (chapter 3) However, the main lead’s lie gave the boxer the opportunity to have expectations and to mistreat him. From my perspective, the athlete preferred in believing in Dan’s words, for it gave him an advantage. And because this was the first time for Kim Dan, the athlete detected the difference immediately (chapter 4), but he couldn’t explain it with the loss of virginity. Therefore he justified his immense pleasure with Kim’s talent! (chapter 4) This is no coincidence that at the end of the first round, he changed his usual position. (chapter 4) He suddenly hugged him from the back. It pushed him to be more creative, to try something else. That’s the reason why Joo Jaekyung wishes to keep him by his side. Sex felt different with him.

4. Power and Money

The problem is that Kim Dan returned to his side only because of the money. When he appeared in front of the penthouse (chapter 6), he was far from smiling, a sign that he was there out of reluctance. The rain even created the illusion that he was in tears. Yet, this didn’t matter to the champion, as the young man was now contacting him. For Joo Jaekyung, it looked like he had won, hence he smiled. (chapter 6) Striking is that he added this: “Now this, I was not expecting”. This shows that Joo Jaekyung was caught by surprise again. As the manhwaphiles can detect, the unpredictability from Kim Dan is another reason for the main lead’s selection. Kim Dan is like a puzzle, the athlete can never anticipate his decisions. Like the French writer Honoré Balzac once wrote: ““Marriage (or here a relationship) must fight constantly against a monster which devours everything: routine.” This means that the physical therapist represents an anomaly to Joo Jaekyung’s world. Kim Dan will always surprise him. If you read my previous analyses about Jinx, you are already aware that Dan means “Sweet” in Korean. Due to Kim Dan’s surprising behavior, the young athlete will be forced to pay more and more attention to his companion in the end so that he becomes less ego-centered. However, this unpredictability exposes the fighter’s vulnerability. He can not truly control the young physical therapist.

On the surface, with this deal (chapter 6), the boxer has the impression that everything is going according to his wishes. (chapter 6) That way, there was no string attached. He would have the upper hand in the relationship thanks to his wealth. However, this is just an illusion, because technically, Kim Dan could also offer his services to others, as long as the latter would pay him. According to him, Kim Dan had other men before. (chapter 4) He has a contract with him saying that he should serve him at any time and place… (chapter 6), but there is no exclusivity!! I am adding this, because one of the tags about this manhwa is “hotguys”. This implies that Kim Dan will also come close to other fighters. So far, we only saw one HOT boy! 😍😂 My point is that Joo Jaekyung needs to be confronted with the wrongness of his philosophy, he treats his partners as tools and whores. (chapter 2) So if Kim Dan is surrounded by hot boys who are also famous or rich, I doubt that the athlete will feel secure. Besides, there is the perverted director. (chapter 1) At some point, the truth about his behavior could come to the surface, he harassed the physical therapist. Joo Jaekyung could jump to the conclusion that he had been coerced to have sex with the director in the past, and the champion is doing the same. Little by little, the sportsman will be forced to face the truth: he is similar to him, as he has Kim Dan’s employer.

Moreover, I would like to point out that the manager seems to be very fond of Kim Dan. So imagine Joo Jaekyung’s reaction, when he sees that the physical therapist has become close to his hyung, while he is still putting a wall between himself and the “hero”. He will definitely get jealous. At no moment the doctor voiced his admiration for the athlete directly, he kept his fascination to himself. (chapter 1) Let’s not forget that the author Mingwa chose this drawing as an illustration for her story. Joo Jaekyung is trapping the uke in his arms, a sign for his possessiveness. To conclude, I am expecting that the doctor’s puzzling behavior will bring Joo Jaekyung’s insecurities to light, to incite him to question his beliefs and even his “jinx”. The more time they will spend together, the more Joo Jaekyung will become addicted to his “drug”, the sweet and gentle Kim Dan, forcing him to change his habits. The job offer to Kim Dan and later their deal already announced the transformation of the athlete. Little by little, the champion’s worldview will transform, discover the sweetness of life. 🍭

Finally, the real person controlling Kim Dan’s fate is not Joo Jaekyung, but the sick halmoni. (chapter 6) She might have no strength, but she represents the biggest opponent to the strong athlete. The latter has no idea about her existence and power over the main figure. And once the therapy is no longer needed, Kim Dan has no reason to keep the deal between him and the famous fighter. That’s how Joo Jaekyung will discover that money can not buy everything, love or happiness. It is the same for strength. The latter is not a guarantee to become the finale winner. Love is superior to power, money and fame. Actually, halmoni is Kim Dan’s reason to survive. She is his true hero.

5. Conclusions

Joo Jaekyung chose Kim Dan for the following reasons: physical attraction, intrigued by his unusual behavior, their first night together which he couldn’t forget, the therapist’s facial expressions (tears, blushing and his oozing innocence (chapter 6), his personality (a rabbit) which aroused his instincts as a fighter and predator. Besides, his choice was also influenced by his subconscious, his desire to prove his masculinity and sex appeal to Kim Dan who seems to be shy and distant towards him. That explains why he was so upset that Kim Dan didn’t respond to his phone calls at all. (chapter 5) He felt initially irritated, but when he heard that he could get blocked, he got offended, . (chapter 5) This represented a huge blow to his ego and manhood. Therefore he felt the urge to punch the punching bag. Besides, the manhwaphiles will certainly recollect that he had to use his hyung to approach the physical therapist. Kim Dan’s shyness and proper manners stand in opposition to Joo Jaekyung and his previous lovers’ crude behavior. (chapter 2) His vocabulary exposed his purity: (chapter 1) Finally, it was the goddess Mingwa who made Joo Jaekyung choose Kim Dan as his partner. This was his fate right from the start. He was destined to be tamed by the pure rabbit.

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

The Ghost’s 🥀Nocturne: The mysterious Jae Shin 🐶👻

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/ghost_nocturne  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link, if you are interested in other manhwas: https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/ And these are the links to the other analyses about The Ghost’s Nocturne: 1. The fragile but powerful prince 2. Devoted Curses

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As you can imagine, in this essay, I will focus on the main lead, Jae Shin. On the other hand, people might be wondering why I described the dashing and confident seme as mysterious. His identity seems to be clear. He is introduced as Yeomra’s son (chapter 8).

1. Jae Shin and his father Yeoram

Yeomra is the god of the underworld.

Yeomra (also known as Yeomra-Daewang) was the Korean god of the dead. He was the fifth of the ten Kings of the Underworld (called Shi-wang) and was believed to be the supreme ruler of the Underworld. Yeomra’s role was to judge the sins of the dead and decide where they would spend the afterlife. Quoted from https://study.com/learn/lesson/korean-mythology-gods-folklore-what-is-korean-mythology.html

This means that his father acts as the judge of human souls. He is presented as a fair and impartial judge. Yet, in the manhwa, the king gives a different impression: (Chapter 1). He appears as more brutal and partial, for his kingdom is called the hell of tongue ripping. It was, as if he was not allowing protest or disobedience, and there would only exist one sentence: tongue ripping. Secondly, he banished his own son to the mortal world, because the protagonist had played a trick on the book of names. (chapter 1) Jae Shin had acted like a god, for he had interfered in humans’ life by switching the name of the deceased for the time of death. As you can see, the main lead’s father appeared as a cold and strict father who would show no mercy towards his own child. He would even side with the mortals, for he put the whole blame on the main lead. The accused defended his position by saying that Park Chi-Kyung (chapter 1), had been asking this favor from him while tricking him. However, Yeomra wouldn’t listen to his defense so that at the end, Jae Shin was turned into a puppy. (chapter 1) However, according to the quote, the king of the underworld’s function is to judge mortals and to send them to hell if necessary. So we could say that he usurped his authority, as he sentenced an immortal.

2. Who is Jae Shin exactly?

What caught my attention is that till chapter 16, people keep asking about Jae Shin’s identity. Who is he (chapter 8) or (chapter 14) what is he? A dream, a ghost, a human? And this leads me to the following observation: Jae Shin might be Yeomra’s son, but he has three appearances: the puppy, the nobleman and the ghost. This divulges that he has more than just one identity. In this picture, the author outlined the two sides from the main lead. (chapter 7) This is no coincidence. If you pay attention how the main figure was called by Yeom, HALF-BREED (chapter 8), you will realize that his insult is alluding to a mixture of two parts. People in the afterlife keeps calling him half-breed. (chapter 7) (chapter 15) Even Yeom who didn’t recognize him immediately, as she had never met him before, (chapter 8) still knew about his rumor. This indicates that Jae-Shin is different. One might say that it is related to his dependence on yin energy (“preying on humans to survive”). Hence he portrayed himself as defective. (chapter 15) This shows that he wished to be different, to resemble his hyungs and other “ghosts”. However, in my eyes, this is not the true origin for his reputation as half-breed. If the beholders look carefully at this image, (chapter 15) they will detect two elements that outline this divergence. First, he is always seen wearing a red hanbok contrary to his brothers and messengers and warden from the afterlife. (chapter 1) (chapter 15) So why is he the only one wearing such a bright red hanbok? (chapter 1) The color is exposing his special status. Secondly, in this image, we could see the young version of Jae-Shin (chapter 15), while the two hyungs have the same appearance. They are both two adults, whereas the main character is a child. The brothers even revealed that they saw him growing up. (chapter 15) In other words, he had the same evolution than a human! The only difference is that he doesn’t age and die like humans. He is already a few centuries old. (chapter 3) Thus I came to the conclusion that Jae Shin is actually the result of an union between Yeomra and a human. Hence he resembles a lot to a vampire with his teeth and long nails, as the vampire is considered as a living corpse. Moreover, the Korean version of a vampire, the gangsi is supposed to absorb Qi, life force. Nevertheless, Jae Shin is not a gangsi, for he can move freely and his body contains blood. My point is that Jae Shin became immortal thanks to his father, but since he was born from a human, he was first a baby before becoming an adult. This explains why Jae Shin’s main color is red, the symbol for life, combined with black, a reference to his father, as this color symbolizes the underworld! Under this new approach, it becomes comprehensible why Jae Shin is forced to go to the mortal world to replenish in yin energy, which is not a necessity for his hyungs. The older brothers don’t often visit the mortal world. (chapter 15) As you can sense, for me chapter 15 was very eye-opening! And once you accept this theory, you can comprehend why the father turned him into a puppy. (chapter 1) Since he looked down on humans, he was not allowed to be one. It was to force him to acknowledge his human nature which he has been denying all this time. He felt superior to humans, for the latter are mortal, and as such weak. (chapter 1) In his eyes, they have no real value. Moreover, he resents them for their hypocrisy (chapter 1) and their treacherous nature . (chapter 1) However, he is not different from them, because he knows that one part of him is human. He is not entirely honest to himself. And now, you comprehend why the god Jin-Gwang said that sending him to a cauldron would have never been a punishment. (chapter 3) He prefers the afterlife world to the mortal one. And because he was different from the others, he got spoiled by his father, brothers and other gods. (chapter 3) Since he is the result of an union between a god and a human, he needs human energy (yin). Therefore he bleeds like a human (chapter 15), when he gets stabbed, but because he is an immortal, he can heal. (chapter 16) Striking is that he called himself a ghost, but Lee Nok didn’t accept this, for he is visible to humans. (chapter 16) This is important, because by identifying himself as a ghost, he is actually denying his “human nature”. However, he is not realizing that “ghosts” were all once humans which is not the case to Yeomra, Jin-Gwang, Cho-Gang and probably to his brothers. They are “gods”. In other words, the moment he calls himself a ghost, he indirectly admits his “human origins”.

Hence you comprehend why the father had to sentence him in the end. His son was playing god by switching the names, he had usurped his power. Besides, he was totally prejudiced about humans. He would make no distinction among them. (chapter 1) He was full of prejudices about mortals: deceitful, weak, ruthless and foolish. However, since Yeomra has to sentence each soul, his son’s biased view about the mortals could only represent a huge affront to the god of the afterlife. As you can see, it was to teach him an important lesson about death and life as well. He should learn to treasure humans, and his mother was a mortal, even more so. Naturally, once I had this idea in my mind, I wondered who could be his mother. While researching about Korean gods and goddesses, I discovered Parigeti or called Bari Gongju [which means literally abandoned Princess]

In the archives of Korean shamanism, the tale of Princess Bari is the tale of the Abandoned Princess. She is the seventh and last child of the king, a monarch who has no sons. This shamanic goddess, Princess Bari, was abandoned at birth because she was female. She travels to the underworld to seek the elixir of life, and is reborn into a new world. She has been transformed into a goddess who, like the boatman Charon across the River Styx, carries souls into the netherworld. Quoted from https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=140971 If you want a more detailed version of the story, here is the link: https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/en/topic/detail/5353

So she could be his mother, yet since Jae Shin was raised by his father, brothers and “uncles”, I doubt that she was his mother, for Parigeti was turned into a goddess. But one thing is sure. This “goddess” could play a role in this story, for a flower, connected to the river of the afterlife, caught my attention.

3. Jae Shin and the red flower

Jae Shin is symbolized by a plant, the lycoris, known under the name red spider lily or magic lily. The association is already presented in the title, as it is part of the “ghost”. Besides, the manhwalovers can detect its presence in three occasions. Jae Shin is wearing an earring in the form of the lycoris. Then the red spider lily (chapter 9), was present, when he changed his appearance and dressed as a noble. (chapter 9) But what is the meaning of this flower then?

Red Spider Lily (Lycoris radiata) – Red spider lilies are strongly associated with death, last goodbyes, and sad memories. They are thought of as the flowers of the heavens. […] In Buddhism, it is a common practice to mark the arrival of autumn and offer a tribute by placing bouquets of red spider lilies at their ancestors’ graves. The Lotus Sutra describes red spider lilies as flowers that grow in hell. As a result, certain Chinese and Japanese Buddhist traditions believe that these flowers help lead spirits through the afterlife and into reincarnation. [….] More legends (from Japan) say when a person crosses paths with someone whom they will never meet again, that red spider lilies bloom along the path. In addition to their association with death and the afterlife, these legends are also partly responsible for the flower’s association with final goodbyes. Quoted from https://www.petalrepublic.com/red-spider-lily-meaning/

And look what happened after he had used his power to turn into a noble in front of the lycoris (chapter 9). He met the servant, his former lover, in the gibang for the last time. The latter chose to cut ties with him. (chapter 9) This was their final goodbye. It takes courage to love someone so different, to love an immortal. That’s the reason why the father sentenced his son to win a human’s heart. He was teaching him a lesson, he should learn how his father fell in love with a human.

And the more I thought about this theory, Jae Shin’s mother was a human, the more it became understandable why the main lead rejects love and why he became a seme in order to replenishing his yin energy. Because of this “love”, he was born, hence he was different. He was not mortal, not totally immortal. He is the result of a forbidden love, the symbol of lycoris.

This curious growth habit was explained in a Chinese myth. The sun goddess Amaterasu assigned two elves (or fairies) to guard the flowers and leaves independently. Mañju guarded the petals while Saka guarded the leaves, always knowing about the existence of one another, but forbidden to meet. Curiosity drove them to defy Amaterasu and once they finally met they fell in love. Amaterasu punished them with a curse to never meet again and so now Saka’s leaves only come out once Mañju’s petals have died. They live in eternal separation. Another name for the flower is ‘Mañjusaka’ in Chinese and ‘Manju-syage’ in Japanese.” Quoted from https://www.metrofieldguide.com/folklore-nature-the-death-flower/

And if my theory is correct, the red spider lily, as the symbol of the love between Yeomra and Jae Shin’s mother, became the symbol for the son. Then this signifies that Yeomra actually interfered in the human world, and as such violated his own rules. The harmony between the mortal and afterlife world was interrupted. Therefore the readers can grasp why Yeomra spoke about fate. (chapter 3) Yeomra can only judge human souls, he can never control the destiny of gods or humans. This means that Jae Shin’s “journey” is to turn into a human, to discover the existence of his heart. Striking is that when the father was drinking his tea, he was looking at the pink-purple lotus, The purple lotus flower symbolizes spiritual enlightenment as well as faithfulness and innocence. The purple flower indicates harmony and balance between different parts of ourselves. [For more read the essay: The lotus and the snake] But since the pavilion and pond were facing the palace where Jae Shin was staying, the presence of the lotus is announcing the future purification of that place full of evil spirits and ghosts.

4. Jae Shin’s power

Interesting is that when Jae Shin was asking his brothers for their help, he didn’t notice the presence of Lee Nok in the adjutant room. Hence he never detected that his strong aura could destroy a ghost (chapter 14) This shows that his body’s energy works like a huge talisman. But in order to become effective, he needs human energy. Hence I couldn’t help myself making the following connection, when I read Yeom’s comment about Queen Han: (chapter 13) She attributed the queen’s protection to a strong amulet, as she believed that the woman was a human. However, the moment you admit that Jae Shin is the fruit of a love between the god of the underworld and a human, you can imagine that Queen Han could have the same nature. Her aura could be so strong that she can push away powerful ghosts like Yeom. Yeom thought that the young girl was attracting ghosts like Lee Nok (chapter 8), thus the shaman advised to the father: (chapter 8) She encouraged him to have his daughter accumulated good karma. She was indirectly trying to change the girl’s personality and as such destiny. (chapter 8) From my point of view, the young girl was discovering her second nature, she could see and talk to ghosts. Thus she smiled. As you can see, I came to develop the following idea: Queen Han is a half-breed like Jae Shin, but contrary to him, she prefers the human world. Why? Because of her powers, she can control people and gain power. This explicates why she chose to get rid of the shaman whom she viewed as a threat. At the same time, thanks to the intervention of the “spirits”, she discovered how powerful she was. Thus she smiled… (chapter 8) like a flower (chapter 8) These words reminded me of the lycoris, the flower of death and funeral. We have many possibilities for her lineage. Either she is a new version of Gongju Bari, or she could be the product of another god, like for example this one: Seokga.

Seokga is the trickster god in the Korean Pantheon. He is known as a trickster god due to his love for playing tricks and deceiving humans. He is also known for creating the world alongside Mireuk. However, Seokga wanted to be the lone ruler of the human world. And so, he challenged Mireuk to a competition. They remained in a meditative state, and whoever grew the most flowers would win the human race. While Mireuk was asleep, Seokga stole his flowers and won. Then, Mireuk vanished. The unjust methods Seokga used to win over the earth resulted in the karmic manifestation of sin and suffering. The first death occurred and the earth was trapped in a cycle of death, rebirth, and eternal suffering. Quoted from https://koreabyme.com/the-pantheon-korean-gods-and-goddesses/

As you can see, Seokga is connected to death either. Moreover, he embodies sin and deception, finally he was portrayed as lusting after power. So he would fit the profile. But there is another reason why I suspect that Queen Han is also connected to the afterlife. I observed that all the ghosts persecuting Lee Nok are not mentioned in the book of names. One of them is supposed to have died in a fire while dressed as a bride (chapter 13), yet the brother had not heard about such a death. (chapter 15) From my point of view, someone is playing tricks with fate and death. But this was not discovered so far. And with Jae Shin’s intervention, the tricks used in the past can no longer be effective. On the other hand, in order to become more powerful and defeat the Queen, Jae Shin has to discover the existence of his heart. Don’t forget that the queen has a child (chapter 8) who she would like to become the Crown prince. He is the source of her strength and motivation. From my perspective, Jae Shin has to learn what love is. (chapter 9) So far, he views it as something irrelevant, only for fools. He has not recognized its beauty and its power. Thanks to love, a human can accumulate good karma and be reincarnated. This means that “humans” are not truly mortal. (chapter 15) Like I mentioned above, with his banishment, the young protagonist is forced to question the true nature of humans. Are they really weak and foolish, like he thinks? No, Yeomra might be the king of the afterlife, yet his existence is attached to the judgement of human souls. As you can see, Yeomra is in truth serving humans. That’s how valuable mortals are. The gods and humans are depending on each other. Jae Shin is in truth the ignorant one, for he is not understanding how humans think and feel. (chapter 13) Though Yeom might have become an evil spirit, she has not lost her humanity. She has never forgotten her origins and family. (chapter 8) Exactly Jae Shin, she is living between two worlds, her body might have died, but she is by clear conscious. (chapter 13) Her fate indicates that there exist different kind of spirits. And now, you comprehend why I am more than ever convinced that Jae Shin’s identity is hiding a mystery. I sense the presence of a duality. Lee Nok’s role is to push Jae Shin to discover his second nature, his heart. Hence Lee Nok is connected to the opposite colors and values, day, green, yellow and blue, (chapter 9) (chapter 1) while Jae Shin is associated to black, red and night! Yes, we have once again the allusion to yin and yang. Hence Lee Nok’s presence was able to appease Jae Shin’s anger after getting rejected by the servant in the gibang. (chapter 9)

To conclude, for me, Jae Shin is not just an arrogant “ghost prince”, but also a “man” who has been denying his own origins. Hence I do think that the father sentenced his son to the mortal world for his own good. He did it, because he loved him. Moreover, I view The Ghost’s Nocturne as a song about the “impossible” love between humans and immortals. Hence this can only happen during the night, when people are asleep.

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

Jinx: My hero 🤠 (only 10 pictures) -second version

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/jinx_en  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/21/who-are-you-the-significance-of-masks-in-manhwas/ Here is the link of the table of contents about JinxHere is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas Here is the link to the second analysis of Jinx. The text was written before the release of new chaptershttps://bebebisous33analyses.com/2022/11/29/jinx-precious-punk-%f0%9f%98%89-and-wimp-%f0%9f%98%8d/

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After reading this title, anyone will think that my essay will focus essentially on Kim Dan.

1. Kim Dan a hero?

In my previous analysis „Precious punk and wimp“, I had explained that the physical therapist was far from being a wimp, for he would be able to take Joo Jaekyung‘s anaconda. 😉And this perception was confirmed, when the manhwalovers were able to see the boxer‘s phallus in his aroused state. (chapter 3) It was really huge to the point that Kim Dan got scared and was on the verge to break the deal. (chapter 3) However, real heroism occurs, when someone is risking his life for the sake of another person. I am now quoting the criteria for being considered as a true hero:

Heroism is characterized by:

Acting voluntarily for the service of others who are in need, whether it is for an individual, a group, or a community

Performing actions without any expectation of reward or external gain

Recognition and acceptance of the potential risk or sacrifice made by taking heroic actions  https://www.verywellmind.com/characteristics-of-heroism-2795943

So this was not entirely the case, when he accepted the first offer. Back then, it was more about his debts and his fear of the loan sharks. Yet, it is a different story, when he proposes the deal to Joo Jaekyung later: 14.000 dollars a month in exchange for his services. (chapter 6) Here, he does it to save his halmoni (grand-mother) (chapter 6), as her illness is requiring an expensive treatment. In order to assist her, he is willing to do something he loathes, for he had perceived his first sex session with the fighter as hell. (Chapter 5) It took him a whole week to recover from this encounter. (Chapter 5) He was physically and mentally wounded. His behavior fits all the criteria in chapter 6. He is totally selfless and is risking his life emotionally, physically and mentally. He definitely sees the champion as a „criminal“, since he keeps comparing him to the director from the hospital. (chapter 6) He has indeed become a true hero, hence he received the admiration and love from all the readers.

2. Joo Jaekyung’s “heroism”

On the other hand, by listing the characteristics of a true hero, people get aware that Joo Jaekyung is a fake hero, though he is celebrated as one in the story! (Chapter 5) At no moment, in the ring, he risked his life, for this fight is controlled by a ref and both boxers are required to follow certain rules. But the seme has not realized this yet. Like I had pointed out before, he takes everything too seriously. He views his games as a matter of life or death. One might think that he has never had a strong opponent so far, but we have two indications that his career wasn’t always smooth. . (chapter 1) The legend is implying that this was not like that in the past (“the streak continues”). Secondly, he has cauliflower ears (chapter 1), a typical consequence for fighting. [Here I would like to thank @delune_art for her observation]

Couture has cauliflower ear, a relatively common affliction among fighters, wrestlers and other contact-sport athletes. Years of being pulled, punched and torn can create blood clots in the ear and damage the tissue. Over time, blood and pus become trapped in the gnarled cartilage of a damaged ear, often causing the lobes to morph into hardened balloons. Like pimples that have crusted into permanent scars, Couture’s ears are blue-and-red deformities that hover on the sides of his head — creviced, bulging and so noticeable that they’ve helped inspire a movement. Whether they wanted to or not, Couture and other elite fighters have turned cauliflower ear into a coveted badge of honor in wrestling, boxing and MMA. What was once an unsightly injury has now become a living trophy that commands respect. Quoted from https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/9630617/ufc-fighter-randy-couture-famous-cauliflower-ears-espn-magazine

This means that he must have also received punches or other injuries on the ears in the past. As you can see, though the readers never saw any defeat so far, the reality is that he had to work hard for his success. This explicates why he is taking things very seriously. On the other hand, the presence of his cauliflowers could indicate as well that the sportsman is proud of his job and success, as they are not removed. That’s how I realized why the champion became superstitious. He explained his “defeats” from the past with jinx. As you can see, I am already sensing that something must have happened to him in the past which pushed him to have sex before a match. What caught my attention is that he underlined that it didn’t matter who his partner was: “No matter what happens, I need to have sex the night before a match, it doesn’t matter who my partner is…” (chapter 2) Therefore I come to the conclusion that it is definitely related to a betrayal from a loved one, someone close to him. The other evidence for this theory is that all the bottoms he selected resemble each other, though he claims the opposite: (chapter 5) The lover and Kim Dan have the same hair dress and the same height, they are both muscular, yet slender. (chapter 2) In other words, Joo Jaekyung favors a certain type, but he is not aware of it. Hence he claims that all his sex partners were different. And now, you have the explanation why he views people he has sex with as tools and even whores. He used money as a protection, a wall to keep his distance from people. This is not surprising why he was happy, when Kim Dan asked for financial support. That way, there was no string attached.: “So it was just the money, after all”. (chapter 6) But naturally, he is deluding himself, because observe that he is now changing his sexual habits! (chapter 6) It is no longer linked to his jinx, because he is asking Kim Dan to have sex no matter the time or place. This little detail makes a huge difference, the start of his new obsession.

On the other hand, we shouldn‘t overlook that his source of strength is founded on his belief that no sex before a match means no victory. (Chapter 2) What if he can’t have sex like he wished? What if his sex partner is not satisfying him enough? What if Kim Dan no longer needs his money, as the expensive treatment for his grandma is no longer necessary? These questions outline the precarity of his “faith”, everything is a matter of luck. And with the new condition, Joo Jaekyung is becoming even more dependent on the physical therapist. So imagine that he cuts ties with the fighter, for he no longer needs to play the hero for his halmoni. The fighter’s world would break down. The way the sportsman thinks represents a huge weakness, which the “lover” could already perceive with the “jinx”. His superstition actually exposes his own insecurities. He has not recognized yet that this bad luck is undermining his confidence in the long run. Hence I come to the conclusion that he is still driven by his past struggling and anxieties.

On the other hand, this scene exposes that Joo Jaekyung is definitely strong and shouldn‘t be underestimated, like the lover did: (chapter 2) The latter imagined that due to their past relationship, he was protected. Thus he thought, he could mock the main lead. What caught my attention is that he even imagined that he knew Joo Jaekyung very well. Hence he voiced his discontent first, then tried to woo him with his sex appeal: “You know I’ve got the technique, baby. I’ll suck you off so good, you won’t know what hit you… So just don’t say it’s over, hmm? Pretty please, sugar?”(Chapter 2) But the truth is quite the opposite, for he never anticipated that he would become the target of the man‘s violence. In my eyes, since he knew about the boxer‘s superstition, he came to perceive the fighter as weak. He even came to believe that he had the upper hand in the relationship. But he was totally wrong, for the boxer was not satisfied with him, but he had never let it transpire. We shouldn’t overlook the fact that the champion had sex with the former physical therapist before (chapter 1) and this quite recently. Yet, the athlete had maintained his relationship with the uke for quite some time (chapter 2) The lover’s words in this panel expose his arrogance and error of judgement. To conclude, he overestimated his position in their relationship due to Joo Jaekyung‘s „jinx“. As you can imagine, Joo Jaekyung is not a real hero, yet he is more than just a violent and selfish boxer either. He also had to struggle to achieve his “dream”. Naturally, Kim Dan can not see it from this perspective, which is comprehensible, for he is the one suffering the most from it right now.

Nevertheless, the reason why I entitled this analysis “my hero” is that there exists another “hero” in this story which I think many readers are neglecting.

3. Hyung

Striking is that the athlete called his manager “hyung” (chapter 5) [which means like older brother in Korean]. This name is revealing that the boxer is respecting the manager a lot. We could say that he considers him as a part of his family. At no moment, the champion uses his force against him. Compare his attitude towards the physical therapist (chapter 1) before and after the arrival of the manager. The tone changed immediately. (chapter 1) He simply listened to his huyng. This means that they have a long history together, Joo Jaekyung trusts him. We could say that the athlete views him as his “hero”, hence he is so courteous and calm in front of him. The latter also admires his athlete so much that he joined him on the ring to celebrate his victory (chapter 5) I doubt that his joy and smile were fake. Imagine that right after the victory, the hyung watched the match again. He was so impressed that he wondered how Joo Jaekyung could improve so much. (chapter 5) And this image exposes that the sportsman has kept something important from his hyung, his so-called “jinx”. The manager is left in the dark!! This indicates that his sex sessions were always done behind his back. The other evidence for this interpretation is the man’s request to his manager: “That new physical therapist I wanna hire him as my private physio” (chapter 5) He is not honest here. Hence I am now wondering if the pressure to remain victorious all this time is not linked to the manager. The champion doesn’t want to disappoint him. Furthermore, I am wondering if the start of the athlete’s “jinx” was not caused by words from the caring and honest manager. Remember what he said to the protagonist: “Good luck” (chapter 1) His expression exposes that the hyung believes in jinx and luck. And now, you comprehend why the main lead would act behind his “hyung’s back”. Thus I am imagining that the main lead’s mind, could have thought that the hyung would reject him, if he were to discover the existence of his “jinx”. Another possibility is that he fears the manager’s rejection because of his sexual orientation. Being a homosexual in such a world would cause a huge scandal. Nonetheless, I believe that the hyung is not the only cause for the high expectations Joo Jaekyung has for himself. Like in real life, many factors and people contributed for his overactive superego.

Since the manager is always smiling, gentle and shows a certain understanding, I am assuming that he will play a huge role in the couple’s relationship. In the beginning of the story, he acted as a mediator between the two protagonists. (chapter 1) Then when his athlete wondered why he had not heard from Kim Dan, the manager not only took Kim Dan’s side, but also criticized his athlete. First, when he said that the main lead had asked him like a million times, (chapter 5), he was implying that he had bothered him a lot. Then (chapter 5) the idiom “something” is a reference to the sportsman’s behavior. He reproached him in a calm manner that he would nag constantly. Yet, at no moment, the boxer felt insulted. That’s why I couldn’t help myself judging him as a “hero”. He could tame his sportsman and turn him into an obedient “puppy”. The latter is always well-mannered in front of him and never showing his frustration.

This scene made me particularly laugh. (Chapter 5) He got caught by surprise by this point. He never imagined that Kim Dan would reject or even block him, as he is considered as a “champion”, a hero!! But the moment he turned his back from the manager, he couldn’t control his frustration and anger. Thus he smashed the punching bag with such a force. (chapter 5) On the other hand, he couldn’t control his gaze, when he heard that he could get blocked. (chapter 5) This whole scene displayed the respect Joo Jaekyung had for the manager and his friend. At the door, he never exploded. But why is it so? Like mentioned above, he views the man as his family. And we have another proof for this: “block us” was turned into “block me”. As you can see, the personal pronoun “us” indicates that Joo Jaekyung considers the man with the red shirt as an unit, a home.

This explicates why Joo Jaekyung is relying a lot on his “hyung”. Therefore it is not surprising that when he saw that Kim Dan was not reacting to his calls, he went straight to the man in the red shirt. (chapter 5) Hence I judge the main character’s deceptions to the hyung as “white lies”. There is another proof that Joo Jaekyung is trying not to deceive his “brother” with bad intentions. He told him about the incident with the previous physical therapist. (chapter 1), yet he used an ambiguous expression. For the manager, it sounded like the champion had beaten him, while the sexual insinuation was present. His choice of expressions indicates that he desired to stay as close as possible to the truth. This shows that the main lead has no real intention to manipulate his “hyung”. He is not doing it out of malevolence, rather out of fear in my eyes. This is also perceptible in this scene. (chapter 5) Joo Jaekyung was frank enough to voice his dissatisfaction about the physical therapists. For me, this image exposes that the boxer is not just a violent and selfish man, he is still capable to have a normal relationship. He respects his peer and never vents his rage towards him. Under this new approach, you can grasp why I selected “my hero” as a title. I wished to outline the good influence the manager has on Joo Jaehyunk. The former will definitely take the physical therapist’s side, like we could sense in chapter 1 and 5!! I am looking forward for the interaction between Kim Dan and the manager, because it will definitely affect the relationship between the hyung and the champion!

In the beginning of this paragraph, I had outlined that the hyung could be considered as Joo Jaekyung’s hero. But I had not discovered the reason for his blinded trust in his coach and manager. But today, I had a huge revelation, Look at the hyung’s ears: (chapter 1) He also has cauliflower ears! Hence I can deduce that he was himself an athlete and probably a champion too. That’s how he got the protagonist’s admiration. Under this new light, I can grasp why the manager’s name was not introduced yet. It indicates that his fame vanished and he is no longer recognized as a hero! This indicates that glory is quite temporary.

4. The halmoni the neglected heroine 😍

While many manhwaphiles were focusing on Joo Jaekyung and Kim Dan’s interactions, I couldn’t help myself feeling so much admiration for the strong woman. She raised her grandson on her own which must have been difficult, for she came from a low social class. (chapter 5) This is perceptible due to her clothes and her basket. She was more or less a “peasant”, living in the countryside. And the young child could sense her struggle. She dedicated her life to raise Kim Dan properly so that he could get an education. She was so selfless and caring that she protected her grandchild from the loan sharks’ brutality. (chapter 5) With this scene, the manhwalovers could discover that Kim Dan’s debts existed, even before he became an adult. This means that this was the heritage from his parents. Hence I am suspecting that one of a parent deserted the family in order to escape from the loan sharks and left the debts to the halmoni and Kim Dan. And if you recall the criteria for heroism, you will recognize the halmoni is a true heroine. Hence you comprehend why the young protagonist is willing to do anything for his grandma. He is trying to repay his “debts”, since she had to suffer so much in the past. There is no ambiguity that the young man feels responsible for her. And if you observe the chapters I quoted the most so far, this was episode 5 where the manager and the halmoni were introduced properly for the first time!!

To conclude, the manager and the halmoni have become my “little heroes”. 🤠 Thus I desired to dedicate this essay to them!

If you want to read another essay about Jinx, then you need to leave a comment. If not, I will write about another manhwa next time.

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

Jinx / Doctor Frost : Precious punk 😉 and wimp 😍!

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa.   https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/jinx_en  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex,  https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/21/who-are-you-the-significance-of-masks-in-manhwas/  and the first essay about Jinx „Bewitched“ (10 pictures) I am once again using the manhwa Doctor Frost as illustration. https://www.webtoons.com/en/mystery/dr-frost/list?title_no=371 Here is the link of the table of contents about Jinx. Here is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas

It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33  That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.

I am writing again about this story, though Lezhin didn’t release any new chapter yet. In fact, the author announced that Jinx’s new episodes would be published on December 3rd and not on Friday. On the other hand, the company revealed finally the synopsis of Jinx. This actually confirmed my previous observation: Joo Jaekyung is connected to superstition, he is „a superstitious man“.

He claims to have a “jinx” in need of a particular type of “treatment,” but it’s one that Dan isn’t quite prepared to offer…” Quoted from https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/jinx_en

After reading the first episode, I had suspected that the boxer had connected his sex sessions to jinx. This is what I wrote in the first text: “What if the boxer feels the need to have a sex marathon just before a match believing that this would bring him victory?”. And the introduction appears to validate my theory. The “special treatment” is naturally an allusion to sex… This looks like Joo Jaekyung will propose a deal to the pure Kim Dan in order to remain undefeated. On the other hand, the synopsis implies that Joo Jaekyung is not entirely honest („claims to have a jinx“). Naturally, the purpose of this analysis is not to say: See.. I was right with my observations. In truth, I would like to portray the boxer in a different light which is perceptible, if you pay close attention to his words: PUNK and WIMP!

1. Who is the punk?

The idiom “punk” appeared, when the protagonist insulted his opponent in the ring. In order to fully grasp the boxer’s mentality, it is relevant to know the true signification of this word:

A punk is a young person who behaves in a rude, aggressive, or violent way. Quoted from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/punk

This explains why punk is a synonym for thug and bully. But this is not what the young opponent was doing, for he got defeated so easily. This shows that in reality, this idiom was actually reflecting the main lead’s mentality. Joo Jyekyung acts like a hoodlum, a thug himself. But this doesn’t end here. According to Oxford languages, a punk is a worthless person (informal, North American). Under this new approach, the readers can grasp why the “kid” was called a punk! He has no value, for he got punched so easily. This exposes that Joo Jaekyung judges people depending on their strength. But by punching the young opponent, he actually divulged his true thoughts. He takes everything too seriously!! For him, sparring is a synonym for fighting, whereas sparring is connected to training, teaching and having fun!! It was, as if for Joo Jaekyung everything was revolving around life and death. This explicates his rage in the ring and why he is called tyrant and punches his challengers, till they bleed. If he can not defeat his opponent, he “will die”. This is no coincidence that his color is black, a pigment that symbolizes nowadays death. Being too serious has huge negative consequences. Such a person can never be happy. The reason is simple. He is focusing too much on career and work that he is overlooking to enjoy the moment. The person is not able to play and to take time to laugh along the way. In the end, he doesn’t know what truly matters in life.

“Where does it come from? If you take things too seriously then this probably just means that you’re the sort of person who worries a lot. Freud would describe this as having an ‘overactive superego’ – the superego being the part of the psyche that makes sure we stick to societal norms, follow rules and don’t just give in to all of our urges and desires. This kind of overactive conscience tends to come from our parents and what they said to us as children” Quoted from https://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15554/1/why-do-i-take-things-too-seriously.html

As you can see, such an attitude is connected to expectations from society. People have come to believe that success and wealth are a guarantee for happiness and a good life. This is wrong, for the person is always obsessed with the future or with the past. This signifies that Joo Jaekyung doesn’t know what fun and jokes are. That’s the reason why he was not able to train the hoobae. He was not teaching him to improve his skills, his goal was to demonstrate his power and talent. This exposes that his vocabulary is actually limited: punk, punching wimp. However, Joo Jaekyung is not realizing that by acting that way, he is pushing people away. The “kid” will certainly never ask the athlete again and this sparring could generate a rumor among the fighters going to this gym that he is far too dangerous. To conclude, the real “punk” was the protagonist. However, he is still precious, for he has a role to play in Kim Dan’s life. He will be his emancipator… From my point of view, the uke’s life could serve as a mirror to Joo Jaekyung that his life was never in danger in the end. This was never a matter of death or life contrary to the poor main lead. At the same time, imagine what a defeat could signify for the champion. He would judge himself as worthless, as in his eyes, only strength is important. To conclude, I think that this violence from the athlete is much more complex, just like its origins.

2. Who is the wimp?

Since “punk” means that someone is worthless and Joo Jaekyung judges people based on their force, I deduce that for the fighter, a gentle and caring person has in his eyes no worth. I would even say that he doesn’t view them as men! Therefore it is not surprising that he called Kim Dan a wimp. He would bow so easily and apologize without fighting. Nevertheless, the fighter is totally wrong in that aspect. It takes a lot of courage to admit a mistake and to ask for forgiveness (doctor Frost, chapter 211), because we don’t know if the offended person will accept the excuse. And this is exactly what happened with Kim Dan. He apologized, yet he still feared that he would be hit. He never protected himself, because he felt that it was the victim’s right to voice his discontentment. His passive attitude was a sign of acceptance for the punishment. The manhwalovers should put themselves in his shoes. Imagine that you are standing in front of the strongest man in the world, yet you don’t argue or stop him from using his hands. This demonstrates great courage. A coward would either run away or even fight back or remain paralyzed. Nonetheless, this was not the case with the uke. In the beginning, he became proactive: He bowed and apologized before before becoming silent and inactive. Hence I believe that this is what the uke will teach the strongest man in the world. He needs to learn to admit his mistakes. And this is no coincidence that in the ring, the brutal man never voiced regret towards the “green” man. With his expression “punk”, he had the perfect excuse to avoid the apology. That’s why he didn’t reply to the trainer immediately and in front of him . He was turning his back to the victim and the coach, when he explained his behavior. He was even blaming the victim for his violence… if he had not asked, then he wouldn’t have been injured. In other words, the real wimp is in reality Joo Jaekyung and not Kim Dan. But the boxer failed to recognize this. Why? Because he judged him based on his force and his passivity which he viewed as a sign of cowardice. However, we need to question ourselves this: Why would all the physical doctors avoid Joo Jaekyung? Remember that no one desired to take this job, not even his mentor. (chapter 1) It is because they had all heard about the boxer’s violent behavior and his stubbornness: (chapter 1) Since the manager’s words are ambiguous due to the expression “rub you the wrong way”, Kim Dan jumped to the false conclusion that the champion has the habit of punching people, yet the idiom could be understood as an allusion to sex and seduction. Striking is that Joo Jaekyung was surprised to discover the hiring of a new doctor.  (chapter 1) Why did he not recall their last encounter? It is because he had never punched him. On the other hand, something must have happened back then: a mistake from the physical therapist. But people shouldn’t overlook this crucial detail: The anaconda 😂 Yes, the length and and size of his phallus! While Kim Dan was massaging him, the man was relaxed, hence this signifies that it had not reached its maximum size!! And now, imagine what happened to the last doctor… The latter could have made an intentional move, but the champion has always separated his career from his private life. No one at the gym knew about the champion’s homosexuality. Since for the boxer, everything is a matter of life and death, he definitely views sex as a fight too. It is about his own climax, and not about feeling good or giving pleasure to his partner, even less about love! Therefore it is not surprising that the man is having sex in this position. (chapter 1) He doesn’t feel the need to see his partner’s face or to talk to him. And if you read my analyses about Painter Of The Night, you are all aware of the signification of such a position. It is about power struggle and victory. This observation leads me to the following conclusion: Joo Jaekyung’s rough sex is just the consequence of his “mentality”. In truth, he is masking his own anxieties, his manhood. This is just a speculation on my part, but I have the impression that his overactive superego is his way to deal his own sexual orientation. Homosexuality is often perceived as a lack of masculinity and strength, and note that so far, the boxer has been following social norms quite strictly. He embodies the prototype of the successful and wealthy boxer. We definitely need more information about his past, his family and surroundings. Another possibility is that the athlete is bothered by his huge phallus, which he could view as “jinx”…. For him, it is the reason why his former sex partners keep running away. The author will give us more elements in the future episodes.

But let’s return our attention to the previous physical therapists. Keep in mind that no one is any longer willing to work for him as a doctor. And if everyone is avoiding to have sex with him afterwards, this shows that he couldn’t “defeat” them in reality, for he was not able to impress them with his sexual activities or scared them with his huge anaconda. And this could also explain his frustration in the end. Therefore, I come to the conclusion that Kim Dan is no wimp at all, for he will accept to face this huge penis and contrary to the others, he will keep having sex with the protagonist. 😂 Under this aspect, the readers can grasp why the anonymous sex partner said nothing, when Joo Jaekyung called the main lead. I am suspecting that the man didn’t find this sex session very pleasant, as he was clinching onto the sheets. Besides, why would he call him in the middle of the encounter? And he could see Kim Dan as his savior… it was his luck that Joo Jaekyung had a new physical therapist.

And now, you comprehend why the uke has a name linked to sweet and red. [Dan means Sweet in Korean} ] His role is to change the protagonist, to bring sweetness and love in his life so that the other learns to enjoy the moment and not to question his masculinity. The fighter needs to relax and to open up. On the other hand, the punk Jaekyung will push Kim Dan to fight back against his “enemies”, the boss and the loan shark and not simply accept the beating and the accusations. That’s the reason why I described them as precious. One is bringing what the other is missing in his life. Kim Dan a pillar and shelter to rely on… and the other has to rediscover the inner child. He doesn’t need to prove his talent any longer, for he is already successful in his life.

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

Jinx: Bewitched 🧙‍♀️ (only 10 pictures)

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa.   But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link of the table of contents about Jinx. Here is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas Here are the link, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex, and other manhwas: https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/21/who-are-you-the-significance-of-masks-in-manhwas/ Here is the link to the second analysis of Jinx. The text was written before the release of new chapters: https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2022/11/29/jinx-precious-punk-%f0%9f%98%89-and-wimp-%f0%9f%98%8d/

It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33  That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.

You might be surprised that I selected this story for an analysis, because so far, Lezhin only released one chapter. Furthermore, the company has not even published a small synopsis or tagged Mingwa’s new story yet. Hence with only one episode, it looks like there is not much to say. The story appears as a mystery. People on Twitter wondered, if the author had planned a love triangle or not for example. However, the author gave us a huge clue about the future relationship between the two main leads. You might ask where. My answer is simple. It is contained in the title. JINX!

1. Jinxed or bewitched?

But what does this idiom mean? The definition is the following:

bad luck, or a person or thing that is believed to bring bad luck. Quoted from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/jinx

To sum up, everything will evolve around superstition, luck and bad omen. Striking is that “jinx” has the following synonyms among others:

bedevil, bewitch, charm, damn, enchant and hex Quoted from https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/jinx

The irony is that nowadays bewitched, charmed or enchanted has a positive connotation. When the first chapter from Jinx was released, many manhwaphiles were bewitched 😉 by the new character created by Mingwa, Joo Jaekyung. Even the author Black Apricot from Legs That Won’t Walk couldn’t help herself to praise the main lead for his handsomeness on Twitter. Striking is that this picture represents the perspective from Kim Dan, the other protagonist. In other words, not only the readers were enchanted, but also Kim Dan. He couldn’t restrain himself from voicing his fascination by whispering “WOW”. The gentle and pure man was voicing what the readers felt. While massaging him, he kept starring at him, complimenting for his skin, his muscles and even his visage. He had the impression that he was really lucky, for he never had such a client before.

2. Joo Jaekyung, a lucky man

Joo Jaekyung is a famous boxer who seems to have luck on his side. Not only he possesses a beautiful and strong body, but also he has never lost a fight so far. In other words, he is very very lucky. He has everything to be happy: fame, wealth and even health which contrasts so much to Kim Dan’s situation. The latter has a sick grandmother who is getting treated at the hospital. The bottom is persecuted by loan sharks due to debts, only his job as physical therapist helped him not to drown, to survive. So it looks like Kim Dan was very UNLUCKY in his life. Since he has to pay the bills for his grandmother, the manhwalovers can deduce that he has already lost his parents. His sick grandmother is the only remaining relative. This must have forced him to mature quickly. He doesn’t have any friend either, because once he saw the loan sharks in front of his home, he expressed his despair:

“There’s nowhere left in this world where I can feel safe.”

This exposes his isolation. He has no one to rely on: no colleague, no friend and no family, as his grandmother is now depending on him. That’s why he must have felt very lucky, when he was proposed the job to treat the famous boxer Joo Jaekyung, especially if you take into consideration that he viewed his job as a source of “luck”: “No be positive. I’m lucky just to be working” . However, when he met the fighter for the first time, he discovered the other side from Joo Jaekyung. He was really brutal and hot-tempered. He couldn’t control his strength, thus the opponent got beaten so badly. And this scene leads me to the following observation. Joo Jaekyung might appear lucky, but in reality he is also jinxed! How so? We could detect this because the way Kim Dan was hired! No one wanted to do the job!! Even the mentor refused to do it. It is because among the physical therapists, it had become famous that the protagonist had a terrible habit. Secondly, the manhwa should question this. Why did Joo Jaekyung refuse to let any stranger enter the training room? It is because he has a secret. Nothing should be leaked to the outside world. Besides, if you think from the kid’s perspective who just wished to spar with the famous Joo Jyaekyung, he must have felt very unlucky. How could he get hurt so much? To conclude, Joo Jaekyung seems to be a bird of misfortune. He is the jinx to others, thus his manager wished good luck to Kim Dan. And this perception gets reinforced, when you consider what happened to Kim Dan afterwards. Shortly after, he was sexually harassed by the director, and both got caught by a nurse!! He was totally running on bad luck! So when he receives a phone call from Joo Jaekyung, he must have felt very lucky again. Imagine that the famous fighter offered him 5.000 dollars for a single service!! With such a sum of money, he could get rid of the loan sharks who had probably heard that he had lost his job. Furthermore, he would be able to pay for the future expenses at the hospital. Once again, Kim Dan could get the impression that luck was on his side for the first time.

3. Joo Jaekyung’s secrets

But we have to question ourselves this. Why would the strongest man in the world call him so late? What was the urgency? During that phone call, he was even having sex with a man. What caught my attention are the manager’s words. Actually his statement is quite ambiguous. Since Kim Dan and the manhwalovers had witnessed the violent punches from the main lead, they assumed exactly like the bottom that the man was referring to his ruthless disposition. He would hurt the physical therapists, if they had provoked him. However, “knock the guy flat on his ass” could be a reference to his sexual habits. He would sleep with all his doctors, hence they would all quit. The boxer would have a sex marathon (knock the guy flat on his ass) which would push people to leave him. I am wondering if this behavior is not linked to superstition. What if the boxer feels the need to have a sex marathon just before a match believing that this would bring him victory? As you can see, I have the feeling that the fighter believes in jinx and good luck. But if this theory is correct, it would actually demonstrate his insecurities. He feels the need to have sex in order to demonstrate his strength and power. Furthermore, I also noticed that Joo Jaekyung is bloodthirsty. Note that he couldn’t stop himself from hurting the other fighters, until blood flows. And this was already perceptible during the last fight transmitted. The ref couldn’t even stop him from punching the opponent. In other words, he can not control his fire (his blood for thirst and his libido!), and this until he encountered Kim Dan!! The latter was able to calm the man. And this is related to his massage. Though the young man had made a mistake, the boxer didn’t get upset, in fact he complimented the doctor. He definitely felt better afterwards. I believe that when Kim Dan touched his phallus, which he viewed as a very unlucky incident, the other felt the opposite afterwards. Hence I have the impression that while the physical therapist was running on bad luck during the week after treating the boxer, it was the opposite for Joo Jaekyung. He felt better, but now it looks like “his bloodthirst” or “strong libido” is coming back. Hence he had to call for Kim Dan. But there exists another reason for my interpretation, the uke’s name! Dan has two significations in Korean: red and sweet! This is no coincidence. “Eating 엿 (yeot) Brings Good Luck” This is a white sweet. From my point of view, Joo Jaekyung will consider Kim Dan as his “sweet”, “his yeot” putting an end to his bloodthirst. Therefore the author drew this image where the beholder had the impression that the fighter was holding Kim Dan in his arm. It was, as if he was claiming the main lead. He was his reward and trophy. And now, pay attention to the clothes the bottom was wearing, when he met his client. While Joo Jaekyung was wearing black, the other had blue clothes. Since Korean culture is influenced by Taoism (yin and yang), I think that the author had another reason for selecting “Dan”.

In addition to these colors, certain color combinations were very important to have at weddings because they helped balance Yin and Yang elements. That is why red and blue (which are also seen in the Korean flag) were considered an important pairing with red representing the male or Yang and blue symbolizing Yin or the female.” Quoted from https://www.color-meanings.com/korean-color-symbolism/

That way, he is connected to the two fundamental colors: blue and red, which is an indication about his role in the boxer’s life. He will bring harmony in his life. He might have been successful so far, but he was full of rage. Hence I am suspecting that he only has one person by his side: the manager whom he definitely trusts. Striking is that he had saved the number from Kim Dan, a sign that he must have recognized his value very quickly. From my point of view, Joo Jaekyung insults the others (wimp, brat) to mask his own flaws. This is not just a sign of arrogance. Naturally, if the physical therapist has a calming effect on the fighter, it is possible that Joo Jaekyung’s lucky streak could end. But here is the question. What is important for the protagonist? Fame or peace of the mind and heart? Despite his victories, he had issues with his temper and rage. Hence despite his popularity, he was also isolated. Moreover, due to this image where Joo Jaekyung is trapping Kim Dan, I am inclined to think that the boxer won’t view the physical therapist as a jinx. For him, he will be his lucky charm. And this is already detectable in chapter 1. His sex partner has the same hair dress and color than the main lead’s. However, for Kim Dan, his encounter with the star can’t be perceived as luck in the beginning, rather the opposite. First, he has already viewed the man’s violence, and he believes that the man beat all the previous physical therapists. He accepted the second offer, for he had been cornered. Yet, he was already skeptical. So imagine his reaction, when he sees the fighter knocking the man flat on his ass.😂 He will come to think that the man would do the same to him. Moreover, don’t forget that after his first treatment with Joo Jaekyung, he got harassed by the director and lost his job. Kim Dan can only judge the athlete in a negative light. Nevertheless, the latter also represents his future source of happiness. If he had a strong and rich man by his side, he could get rid of the loan sharks and he would have someone who takes his side. He would be finally protected and have someone who he can depend on.

4. Conclusion: Between jinx and luck

As a conclusion, I believe that Joo Jaekyung has already been bewitched by Kim Dan, just like the readers. Nevertheless, he won’t admit it right away, for he has always hidden his weaknesses. Therefore the description of Kim Dan about the boxer is not entirely correct: he is not the strongest man in the world. His language is masking his vulnerabilities. He is connected to jinx and superstition, while the other protagonist has not lost hope despite his loneliness and struggles. He is still fighting to survive, though he is constantly running out of luck. In my eyes, the gentle and sweet physical therapist has already defeated the beast Joo Jaekyung, for he is able to control his temper. So was it luck, when the client took off his shirt? Yes… because Kim Dan needed to be charmed by his “body”. Furthermore, the boxer removed the tee-shirt, for he had sweated before. He had already vent his anger onto the poor boxer during the sparring, hence I deduce that Kim Dan was indeed lucky during that day. Consequently, I come to the conclusion that the relationship between the two main leads will be a fight between jinx and luck… until both find the right balance. This signifies that Joo Jaekyung will develop a certain obsession and possessiveness towards the sweet Dan!

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