Protected: Painter Of The Night: Amusing tattling or idle tale-telling ? (second version)
Tag: Yoon Seung-Won
Protected: Painter Of The Night: “Crazy lunatic!!” 😤 (second version)
Protected: Painter Of The Night: First season revisited 🤓😲
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Royal touch and the hand of benediction
Protected: Painter Of The Night: The puzzle and the missing pieces
Protected: Painter Of The Night: White knights, victims and martyrs
Painter Of The Night: Time ⏳ and crime (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/
This won‘t be a long analysis like “The end of the vicious circle”, for my main purpose here is to try to reconstruct Yoon Seungho’s terrible past, and as such its chronology.
1. The incident in the study
We know now for sure that the starting point of Yoon Seungho‘s downward spiral was the incident with Jihwa.
Chapter 77: 
The young boy was caught doing something immoral, though like I elaborated it in my previous analysis, there‘s no doubt, the main lead was drugged, and Jihwa had been somehow manipulated. While some might see two teenagers fooling around, I have a different perspective. Then I came to realize why the perception from the manhwaphiles diverges so much. It is, because the readers are actually projecting their own thoughts and expectations. Hence this is normal that certain readers are still expecting something innocent and pure. Yet, since I believe, Yoon Seungho was never a sodomite from the start, but was turned into one, for me the smile and gaze from Yoon Seungho in that scene seemed so fake and artificial, especially if you compare it to this one: 
(chapter 57) versus 
(chapter 77) In the first one he oozes innocence and affection, in the other he’s in ecstasy, roofied. However, we have to envision that this smile could have just been a projection of the butler, which means that this represents a distorted memory. Like I explained in my previous essay, the noble has the same gaze than the painter under the influence of opium and alcohol.
“Date rape drugs make a sexual assault, including rape easier in one or more ways, such as:
- making a victim more compliant and less able to say no
- weakening a victim so they are unable to resist or fight back
- making a victim fully or partially unconscious
- weakening a victim’s inhibitions, so they consent to sexual activity they may otherwise decline” quoted from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320409#types
And if you pay attention to Yoon Seungho, he was not active at all. He was behaving like the painter in chapter 54.
2. Kim’s past actions
Observe the butler‘s actions. He opens the door without announcing himself. But remember the butler’s MO, it is to delay to deliver the information. We could observe this on different occasions like chapter 44 or 50. He never told the painter about the scholar’s departure
(chapter 44), just like he only reported the conversation between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum many weeks later.
(chapter 50) That’s why I come to the conclusion that he never ran immediately to father Yoon in order to report the incident. The butler just needed to inform him later. While in the past, I used to think that he had used rumors again as an excuse, I have now a different perception. For me, it was someone else badmouthing the main lead, well aware that father Yoon feared gossips the most, 
(chapter 50) an older version of this image. This explicates why Yoon Seungho had regained consciousness and could fight back against the servants, when he got dragged to the shed. 
(chapter 77) Besides, observe that the main lead was sequestrated in the storage room on two occasions at least.
3. The shed and study
Hence Yoon Chang-Hyeon ordered to drag the young boy to the barn. 
(chapter 77) However, since it happened twice, I am deducing that this was not the case for the second time. But if you pay attention to Yoon Seungho‘s bedroom, you will notice that he was living in the actual painter‘s study. 
(chapter 77) And this means that the intelligent noble was in a privileged situation. Remember Jihwa’s words: 
(chapter 05) With this remark, the noble expressed a certain annoyance, for he would live next to Yoon Seungho. This truly shows that the painter’s room was a sign of Yoon Seungho‘s favoritism towards the low-born. So if the main lead had such a good reputation and was even favored by the eldest master, this signifies that he could only attract people‘s gaze. Thus some persons definitely envied or resented him, like Yoon Seung-Won and father Lee. And it occurred to me that the younger master had every reason to feel jealous of his elder brother. He might have had the impression that his father had no eyes for him. In other words, he could only benefit from such an incident. If his brother lost his father‘s favor, then he imagined that he would get noticed by his father. As you can imagine, I believe that someone must have poisoned Yoon Seung-Won‘s mind. From my point of view, only a grown-up could have access to the drug. I can‘t shake the butler‘s philosophy from my mind: „Ignorance is a blessing“! The person behind the plot knew about the children‘s weaknesses (innocence, longing for love and recognition, desire) and decided to use them to his advantage.
4. He is not in his right mind
But then suddenly it occurred to me that chapter 77 is a reflection of episode 5. Note the resemblance. Jihwa talked here about virginity by opening the commoner’s shirt. The manhwaphiles will certainly remember that during that night, the noble got rejected, for the lord’s mind was elsewhere! 
And here we have a proof that Yoon Seungho acted differently in the past. His mind was elsewhere due to the drug, but he didn’t stop his friend. Observe the similarity between the gestures: 
(chapter 5) (chapter 77) The young boy’s head stood above his childhood friend, exactly like with the painter. Jihwa also removed the shirt, but since the low-born stopped him, this signifies that Yoon Seungho had the opposite reaction. He was allowing his friend to kiss and touch him. However, the young noble couldn’t enjoy this moment, as the butler arrived so that the red-haired aristocrat ran away and abandoned him. Very early on, I had elaborated that Jihwa must have done something to his friend and ran away in order not to get caught. I had come to this deduction due to the incident with the door and the painter’s worries. He feared to have been seen.
5. The reflections in the kaleidoscope
That’s how I recognized a certain pattern in this story, the final proof that the story is built like a kaleidoscope:
- chapter 05:
- Chapter 16:
Here, the artist was imitating the red-haired aristocrat’s actions in the past. The only difference is that he was the passive one!! Striking is that both chapters have something in common: one is always seducing the other, and the latter isn’t accepting the advances. In addition, the masturbation was not disclosed to anyone, yet someone notified Jihwa about the painter’s late return. - Chapter 17: I judge this episode as a reflection from chapter 5, for the gestures are similar: the hand on the painter’s shoulder. Furthermore, the readers will note the presence of the sweets, the butler carrying food
, but he’s avoiding the lord’s chamber. At no moment, he reports Jihwa’s trespassing, his master only discovers the assault, for he hears the commotion. The artist wouldn’t have been slapped, if the staff had immediately announced Jihwa’s visit. Striking is the aristocrat’s confession: 
(chapter 17) Other common points with chapter 77: “seduction”, the violence of the noble, his rage because he feels that the painter is lying and had lost his virginity with Yoon Seungho. Besides, I would like to point out that the lord only discovered Jihwa’s assault through the gossip. He came too late, hence he couldn’t stop Jihwa from insulting and slapping the low-born. - chapter 50: Jihwa was living in anxieties
that he needed alcohol, an indication that in the past he must have struggled as well. We have to imagine that back then, he feared that his father Lee would hear about this incident, but father Yoon never let transpire the incident to the outside world. From my point of view, father Lee must have denied his son’s actions, but the aristocrat with dragon’s eyes was no fool. And remember that I used the same chapter to outline that Kim communicated the information to his master in delay. Note that in this episode, time was essential. Both figures were struggling. While the one hoped, the murder would be done soon to put an end to his suffering, the other had the impression that he was running out of time. He couldn’t change the artist’s heart and mind, too wounded. - Chapter 57: The visit to the physician showed us the lord’s past. Back then he got hurt by his father
, but he was still looking fine. More importantly, he still trusted his butler. Father Yoon requested some medicine, for he believed that his son was not right in his mind. 
The physician presented the box full of drug which Kim has been giving to his master since his youth. - Chapter 66: Here, Min arrived unannounced at the mansion and could observe in the lord’s chamber what Yoon Seungho had done. Here, he revealed the so-called culprit for the painter’s disappearance. The common denominators are:
the delayed disclosure about the crime, the servants not doing their job and gossiping, the passivity of the butler. - Chapter 67: After the main lead had discovered the crime disclosed by Min, he rushed to father Lee’s mansion and caused a commotion. What caught my attention is that we had again an incident with a door. In addition, Jihwa couldn’t run away. He was trapped in the room, yet he refused to face his friend. The other similarities are another rejection
and the delayed arrival of father Lee putting the blame on Yoon Seungho.
And now pay attention to the number of the episodes: 05 – 16 (1+6 = 7) – 17 (1/ 1+6) – 50 – 57 (50+ 1+6) – 66 ( 5+1/ 5+1) – 67 (6 / 6 + 1) – 77 (1+6 /6+1) Here we have the kaleidoscope. For me this is no coincidence. But more importantly, all these chapters contain seduction, but also rejection, resistance and the presence of drug.
6. Jihwa’s dream
And by putting these chapters together, we get finally the evidence that Jihwa was the boy in the protagonist’s room. Then it came to my mind why the red-haired master was still unhappy in his relationship with Yoon Seungho. When he was wooing his friend in his youth, he saw the friend’s smile and gaze and imagined that he had been accepted. (chapter 77) I also believed that he had to envision this smile from Yoon Seungho to justify his action. An older version from this chapter: 
(chapter 19) That’s why Jihwa was blushing the whole time. His dream seemed to have come true!! But unfortunately, they got interrupted. But he didn’t realize that this “dream” was just an illusion, and he had been played. Because he had opened the friend’s shirt, he noticed his virginity. That’s why he had an eye for that. 
(chapter 5) He had gained this experience with his friend. Since I see some parallels between chapter 77 and the first Wedding Night, which stands for illusion and dream, it becomes even more evident that Yoon Seungho had been drugged and both young boys got played. During all these years of separation, the second lead kept his virginity intact for his friend. Once the main lead got betrayed and abandoned, Jihwa saw finally that his dream could come true. Since Yoon Seungho’s gaze had haunted him for so long, he hoped to obtain the same gaze, as in his mind it was the symbol of love and affection. Besides, he had another reason for approaching his friend. Since he had caused his downfall, deep down he imagined that if they became a real couple, then he could do as if the time of their separation had never happened. They would live, as if nothing had happened.
And now, you comprehend why Jihwa was so sure that his friend would never purse and seduce another man! (chapter 17) Yoon Seungho had never done it to him. Remember my observation: the main lead had been totally passive in the study due to the drug. In fact, he had never rejected anyone, 
(chapter 52) because he had been trained as a kisaeng. And these observations made me recognize another important aspect: Jihwa, exactly like Baek Na-Kyum, has never discovered that sex could be a form of violence. From my point of view, the chapter 77 shows us that sexual assaults can take many different forms. Using a KO-drug is definitely a crime, but due to Jihwa’s lack of experience, he couldn’t recognize the true nature of the situation.
That’s why I believe that Jihwa will still help Min, because he feels bound to him by secrecy. He is acting like the butler, he wants to survive and not get caught, that’s his driven motivation. However, he will be cornered and forced to make a decision: save his own skin or help someone. In my first version, I had written that the moment he discovered Min’s actions, he would be able to judge the situation correctly this time. And this expectation became a reality. 
(chapter 100) Black Heart taught Lee Jihwa an important lesson, the importance of consent. Someone can be forced to sex, which the second lead never truly grasped. He had to pay a huge price for the stolen kiss and his betrayal 10 years later. Interesting is that Lee Jihwa ran away, because he rejected to be responsible for the painter’s death, a synonym for Yoon Seungho’s curtains. 
(chapter 100) This is what I had also written in the first version.
However, as you can imagine, I am expecting a growth from the second lead. He will make the opposite choice than Kim, save the painter, while I am more than ever convinced that the butler won’t change his bad habit.
7. The chronology
But let’ s return our attention to chapter 77. When the butler opened the door, the second lead ran away leaving his friend behind. But Kim didn’t report the incident right away, he started spreading some rumor. Why? It is because we have the presence of rumors in chapter 17, 50, 57, 66 and 67. And notice that 17, 57, 66 and 67, he never stopped people from gossiping, while in chapter 50 he revealed the intel as rumor.
Since all the episodes involve the unannounced visit of a noble (17, 50: here Seungho barged in the scholar’s room, 57, 66, 67), I could only come to the conclusion that father Lee was the one who paid a visit to father Yoon, and revealed the incident by naturally putting the whole blame onto Yoon Seungho. But unlike in chapter 67, father Lee visited discreetly the mansion, as he feared gossips. That’s why the physician mentions that Jihwa was supposed to have the illness
(chapter 57), but he could never identify the issue. And now, you comprehend why father Lee was red, totally embarrassed
(chapter 67), for he was well aware of the truth. We have many possibilities here. Either someone leaked the info to the father secretly, or the son must have confided to him about the incident. Remember that in chapter 68, the painter confided to her his deepest fears and struggles. Let’s not forget that the son had hired an amateur spy in order to be updated about the events occurring in Yoon Seungho’s mansion. Consequently, I am inclined that the incident must have reached father Lee’s ears, and in order to maintain his respectability, he preferred covering up the commotion by blaming the elder son Yoon.
Since father Lee had intervened and Kim chose to reveal the “truth”, father Yoon could only perceive the incident as a truth. Consequently, father Yoon ordered his servants to drag Yoon Seungho and to confront his son. From my point of view, father Lee was questioned as well, but as you can imagine, he covered up his own son’s action. Since everyone was pointing the finger at the main lead, no one sided with the young boy. In other words, he got not only blamed, but also framed.
Right after he asked his staff to drag him to the shed as a punishment. But as you can imagine, Yoon Seungho couldn’t have any idea why his father reacted like that, for he had been drugged. He had no recollection, hence he denied the existence of the incident. However, the father chose to believe Kim, as he had the crowd. Imagine his reactions: the main lead had to hear from him what he had supposedly done. I would like to point out that victims of rape due to KO-drug suffer from immense guilt, as they showed no resistance or even seemed to “enjoy” the incident.
The valet gaslighted the poor boy by making him feel guilty
(chapter 77), but despite his harsh and cruel words, the young protagonist chose to continue trusting him and his words. Let’s not forget that Kim claimed that his father would fix his “problems”. 
(chapter 77) From my point of view, the young master was determined to show good will and to listen to Kim’s advice.
Because he was sent to the shed and we see the straw mat beating right after, we have the impression that this was the punishment he received for this incident. But this was an illusion created by the author. Why? First, when the father visited the doctor, the young boy was still looking fine. He had such a rosy complexion, and still admired and trusted the butler. However, the main lead’s gaze changed after the straw mat beating. He recognized that he had been betrayed and abandoned by Kim. 
Observe the slight movement of the iris. First, the iris is directed at Kim, then it moves in the opposite direction. 
By looking away, he clearly unveils his inner thoughts and emotions: he has been betrayed and abandoned by his butler. He resents him, yet until that moment he was still willing to trust despite the multiple betrayals. He is disillusioned.
But there’s another indication that the straw mat beating didn’t occur right away. It is, because of the following panel: 
(chapter 55) First, there’s no rain. Secondly, Yoon Seungho was feverish and his eyes were so bruised after the harsh punishment that I doubt he could still see clearly the boy’s gesture so from faraway. So for me, that’s the moment when he is dragged into the courtyard and not during the straw mat beating. In the past, I used to think, it was Yoon Seung-Won, but then after the latest episode I started doubting it. However, like one of my followers reminded me that Byeonduck had confirmed about Yoon Seung-Won’s identity. Yet, observe that the lord and the boy have no face. Why? It is because the two persons embody not only Yoon Chang-Hyeon and Yoon Seung-Won, but also father Lee and Lee Jihwa. The scholar Lee was the one who had asked for the flogging! That’s the reason why he said this to the lord years later: 
(chapter 82) This statement proves that he had done it before! Furthermore, the red-haired master is connected to the straw mat beating. 
(chapter 12) This explicates why Lee Jihwa resented the brother and the father, for in his eyes they were responsible for his childhood friend’s suffering. And since the father had done it once, then he had no problem to order a second flogging or straw mat beating, just like the king Yeonjo who punished the Crown Prince Sado so brutally. So because the eldest master next to Seung-Won is dressed differently in chapter 77: 
(chapter 77) I could only come to the conclusion that these two panels are not referring to the same incident.
From my point of view, Yoon Seungho received the second straw mat beating after the rape!! And this means that Kim had been present, but he had not intervened. 
(chapter 65) Here, he had been brought back to the past. Remember the past mirrors the present. In my eyes, the rape of the main lead occurred at the same time than the painter’s. It took place in fall. So when did Baek Na-Kyum get sick?
It was after the first sex marathon! He was dragged to the bedchamber and due to the long sex session, he got sick. Notice the parallels:
- he is so wounded, but the father refuses to call for a doctor
(chapter 33) - it is raining, and the painter got sick due to the wet clothes (chapter 27/29)
- Father Yoon abandons his son and leaves him behind. He doesn’t even carry his son himself.
(chapter 33) Note that Yoon Seungho called for a doctor, he even carried himself to the study and waited there, until the doctor had given his prescription.
And now, the manhwaphiles comprehend why I came to this interpretation.
What happened is the following. Once he had been abandoned by the father, the rapist could approach him and have sex with him. Kim heard the boy’s resistance, but he chose to remain outside, until the man was finished. 
(chapter 65) I am quite sure that the butler’s passivity was justified that it was done for the main lead’s sake. However, once it was over, the butler was forced to see the consequences of his bad choice. But the valet refused to become responsible and gaslighted the young master again. If he had not kissed Lee Jihwa, if he had put his prick in the hole etc… The main character had still acted like a dog and a cat, and this time he reported it to his master directly so that the latter came to the conclusion that Yoon Seungho was still useful for him. Or the eldest master knew about it anyway. But the main lead never got to discover that Kim had heard him outside the room, but had remained silent and passive.
And now, you comprehend why Yoon Seungho was so hurt and disappointed by Kim. Kim never protected him or even defended him at all. He made sure that the young boy would be blamed and should feel guilty or he remained paralyzed and speechless. He never rushed to his care. And since father Yoon speaks “chambers”, this means that the protagonist had already become the lord Song’s “favored servant.” But he had not reached the bottom, he needed to become a kisaeng. In my eyes, the young boy got punished, as he was still refusing his role as „favored servant“. And now, you comprehend why Kim threatened the doctor in chapter 33. The latter had reminded the butler of his own wrongdoings: 
(chapter 33) Back then, he not only followed his master’s requests, but also he did nothing at all. He stayed immobile and shocked. 
(chapter 77) I believe that when the valet looked at the young boy’s gaze and perceived his own true reflection (a disgusting and fake domestic), the man was surprised. He never imagined that he would be judged differently: (chapter 67) The main lead must have thought similarly. But due to the long exposure to abuse and to the drug, Yoon Seungho repressed these thoughts and emotions.
8. The beneficiaries
So if my theory is correct (Yoon Seungho was drugged), we have to question ourselves. Who benefitted the most from the protagonist’s downfall?
- Yoon Seung-Won: he could finally obtain the study next to his father’s bedchamber. He would finally get some “recognition”. And note that the brother got dressed exactly like the main lead. He had finally reached his goal: he was the better son.
- the pedophile
- Father Yoon: I am convinced that the father made a deal with the rapist. Now, the author has revealed that it was Yoon Seungho in the kisaeng house
(chapter 68). Father Yoon imagined that if he had sex with a kisaeng house, he would be cured. However, something happened in the gibang. The young boy refused which forced the nobles to intervene. Yoon Seungho got dragged and tied up by the black guards. Naturally, father Yoon could only jump to the conclusion that with such a rejection, Yoon Seungho was admitting his homosexuality. This could only reinforce the prejudices the father had about his son. The irony is that with such an attempt, father Yoon exposed that he was a man obsessed with sex. He never understood that sex is strongly intertwined with love and warmth. Thus I deduce that father Yoon never associated sex to affection. For him, it was either a synonym for power, submission or duty as the noble has to make sure that he has sons to continue the legacy. With this new insight, I come to the conclusion that the man was totally fooled by his surroundings and most importantly by the rapist. Everyone lied out of selfishness and cowardice, and let the young boy take the whole burden. Hence the father truly believed in his son’s homosexuality and out of resent and contempt, when he saw an opportunity to use his son for his own career, he was trained as a kisaeng. In my eyes, this idea was definitely suggested by the pedophile, though I doubt that he was directly involved in the incident in the kisaeng house. And the man dreamed of bringing greatness to the Yoons with his “connections”. However, this was just a pyrrhic victory, as both Yoons lost more than they gained, for the rapist hadn’t kept his promise.
That’s why I believe that the younger brother was indeed involved in the first incident misguided by the rapist, instilling his jealousy, an older version of Min and Jihwa. But the young son never imagined that his father would treat his brother like that. The panel from chapter 55 exposes Yoon Seung-Won’s guilt and silence. But as time passed on, he could still benefit from this. He finally got recognition from his father. 
(chapter 86) But it was in detriment of the Yoons’ power! The father lost everything, yet the younger master didn’t suffer much from it first, until he reached adulthood. Now, the father was putting his whole hope on him, and that’s how Yoon Seung-Won realized the existence of such a burden. That’s the reason why he contacted his brother again. He hoped to get an office through his brother’s connections and power. Remember that Baek Na-Kyum’s real torment started with the arrival of the learned sir to the mansion. Hence the moment “lord Song” came to the propriety, he started scheming to achieve his goal: he was bewitched by the young protagonist, he needed to taste him. However, from my point of view, the pedophile had sent the butler for this exact purpose. He must have definitely known how Kim would behave in there. I have already exposed that for me, the butler represents the poisoned gift from chapter 19. 
(chapter 19)
But since the whole tragedy was caused by delayed information, I deduce that timing is essential, especially when it comes to “justice”. Since the “accomplices” and “perpetratrors” never got punished, they imagined that they had escaped human justice. However, karma was waiting for them. Jihwa was never happy, though he had become the main lead’s lover. Why? It is because he had to live with his guilt. Moreover, he had wished to obtain Yoon Seungho’s love. In other words, he was living an illusion. The brother didn’t gain anything in the end, as his comfortable life and good reputation were based on Yoon Seungho’s suffering. Secondly, father Yoon almost lost everything. However, I doubt that all of them learned their lesson, just like the pedophile. This explicates why Yoon Chang-Hyeon schemed again in season 3. 
(chapter 94) He hoped to appear as a good lord, while his son had mistreated his own messenger.
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.
Protected: Painter Of The Night: “The end of the vicious circle” (third version)
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Sweet painful lessons
Painter Of The Night: Twitter and Yoon Seung-Won
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/
Yesterday, the author generated a poll on Twitter. She was asking if people would like if Yoon Seung-Won got abducted and wounded, implying that he would suffer the same fate than his elder brother’s. 
In order to make sure that I didn’t misunderstand the content, I even used the app papago and it didn’t diverge at all. As you can observe, most participants agreed to this idea. This means that the author is planning an abduction and sequestration for Yoon Seung-Won. However, when the poll was still active, some users were saying that the author was asking if the readers wanted to have a happy ending or not. As you can see, the twitter generated rumors about the evolution of the story. Striking is that only 20% refused the idea of a kidnapping, because Yoon Seung-Won is handsome and he looks so innocent. They didn’t want another character to suffer again.
1. The reason behind the brother’s kidnapping
But what people failed to see is that none of the figures in Painter Of The Night is free from flaws and sins, not even Baek Na-Kyum! The latter was a liar in the beginning and is still one. This explicates why I still consider him as a hypocrite to a certain extent. 
(chapter 74) In this panel, he is showing a certain admiration for his lover, while he reproaches the “change” in the next panel. 
(chapter 75). As you can observe, change is linked to improvement in the first case, and to instability in the second. The manhwaphiles can still sense that the painter is not honest to his partner and to himself. Besides, let’s not forget that he is still not admitting his feelings for Yoon Seungho. Furthermore, he prefers the lord becoming responsible for him so that their love sessions would be legitimated by the master’s requests. This coincides with Heena’s intervention and influence, which shows how big her influence on Baek Na-Kyum was. The latter was raised to have prejudices and follow social norms. In other words, the painter’s flaws and sins are caused by his education. And for each sin (even white lies), he will suffer. Contrary to Christian philosophy, the characters in Painter Of The Night will not pay for their wrongdoings in their afterlife, but in their actual life. All the figures will meet their karma. That’s why Byeonduck already warned the readers that they should brace themselves for heartache in the beginning of season 3. And observe that “handsomeness” and “looking innocence” can not be an excuse for the absence of suffering, since the painter didn’t escape his karma. Therefore, Yoon Seung-Won can’t be spared just because of his beautiful face and his naivety.
And this leads me to the following conclusion. It is perfectly logical to plan an abduction for Yoon Seung-Won, and even to let him go a similar path than the main lead, though it will be much shorter. Why? It is, because the younger master resembles the painter in certain areas. He is also a hypocrite and a liar. And he became like that because of his father, just like Baek Na-Kyum’s flaws (ignorance, prejudices, hypocrisy and lies) are the result of Heena’s raising. Nevertheless, there exists a huge difference between them. The kisaeng acted like that out of selflessness. She always imagined, she was acting in her brother’s best interests, while in reality she was not recognizing that her actions actually were all selfish. On the other hand, the younger master learned from his own father that his own interest mattered the most. He witnessed how his father used and even abused his brother, therefore he started copying father Yoon’s MO and adopted his mentality. Yoon Seung-Won used his father’s authority to scare his brother and to impose his will onto him. 
(chapter 35) First, he “faked” a letter saying that it was from the former official
(chapter 35) , then he mentioned their relative in front of Yoon Seungho. 
(chapter 37) He definitely knew that his brother got hurt and scared by the mere mention of father Yoon. In the chapter 37, we could sense the young master’s lies and dishonesty. His goal was to obtain his brother’s help and sponsor. I believe that he desired to stay at his brother’s mansion in the capital too. But with his visitation, he failed, therefore he retaliated and gave the ruined painting on purpose to their father. He feigned ignorance, while in truth he hoped that his father would intervene.
(chapter 44) But his scheme failed for two reasons. First, he forgot that his lie had consequences. Valet Kim took his words as face-value: “The letter was from the eldest master”. So the butler envisioned that father Yoon was indeed requesting his eldest son’s help. That’s why he played the trick by giving the ruined painting. He anticipated that the former official would perceive the gesture as insubordination and retaliate. However, Kim didn’t realize that when father Yoon created the scandal and cut off Yoon Seungho’s topknot, he was indeed abandoning his son for real. There’s no doubt that such a man who pays so much attention to his own image and reputation, would like to be associated to the infamous sodomite. That’s why the lord remained passive in chapter 44 and could only clench his fist out of rage. As you can see, the rumors have become Yoon Seungho’s protection. Now, he is out of reach for father Yoon and I believe, it is the same for the king. But so far, Yoon Seung-Won didn’t truly suffer due to his lies. As a conclusion, he will have to meet his karma in the future. How? The abduction would be the answer.
2. Predictions
Then shortly after, the author released this picture on Twitter, asking the users to ponder the cause for Yoon Seung-Won’s embarrassment. 
The young master seems to feel uncomfortable, as there’s a drop of sweat on his face. Moreover, he is thinking the following: “There are so many twisted-minded people in the world…”. So what happened?
We have two possibilities. Either he lied or he just used his brother’s name to get some recognition, just like he used his father’s authority in the first season. Remember how he utilized Yoon Seungho’s name to explicate why father Yoon didn’t bid farewell properly, we have to expect a new version of this. But if he lied, we would have two possibilities again. Either he said that he was sponsored by his brother or he acted, as if his family hadn’t cut ties with Yoon Seungho officially. He acted, as if the incident with the topknot had not occurred or as if their alienation had been finally removed. The manhwaphiles shouldn’t forget that in chapter 37, Yoon Seung-Won was seen visiting his brother’s mansion and he was accepted. He even got a letter from his brother delivered by Kim. Yoon Seung-Won could use this scene as a deception. One thing is sure: Seung-Won’s desire to get a high office through his brother is definitely the cause for this incident, as the young master has learned from his father that Yoon Seungho was just a tool for their family. And his dishonesty will lead to the abduction. But the new panel released by the author represents Yoon Seung-Won’s karma. He is now paying the price for his sins (selfishness, vanity and superficiality)
3. Explanations
Let’s not forget that until he left for the capital, he lived secluded in the countryside. Therefore he was never confronted with the gossips about the topknot incident and his brother as hell-raiser directly. He might be well aware of the “prostitution” and exclusion, but he was too young to realize the real consequences of such an action. Since his father has always paid attention to their good image, the young master never envisioned the real significance of the gesture: betrayal and abandonment. The latter just judged it as banishment. That’s why he suggested to his brother to pay a visit to their father.
(chapter 37) He thought that the topknot incident could be erased with a simple visitation. This truly exposes that Yoon Seung-Won has not honestly grasped the signification of the terrible event and its impact on his brother. I am even now wondering if he really knows about the extent of his bad reputation. This would explain why he couldn’t understand the presence of the fellow.
In his mind, the elder brother was still following their father’s rules, and as such was still acting on behalf of the Yoons: Having sex in exchange for favors.
(chapter 37) But he would lie a low profile just like in the past, when father Yoon hid his crime (prostitution) behind closed doors. Let’s not forget that Kim tried to stop him from entering the room, giving the impression that Yoon Seungho was somehow paying attention to his notoriety: sodomy would only occur behind closed doors.
So once arrived in the capital, he lets people know that he is Yoon Seungho’s brother. I can’t help myself thinking about the scholar who wanted to use the protagonist’s notoriety in order to attract attention. 
(chapter 44) I believe Yoon Seung-Won could have a similar idea. Yet, the moment he acts like that, he detects how people start looking at him strangely, just like 
(chapter 01) Baek Na-Kyum reacted, when he recalled the protagonist’s identity. The young master will witness people’s disdain and shock, or they will approach him believing that he is like his brother. 
For me, “There are so many twisted-minded people in the world…” is referring to the gossips. Yoon Seung-Won will become guilty by association. That’s why he will feel uncomfortable, as he will realize what it means to be associated to such a brother. They believe that he is like Yoon Seungho, a sodomite, who is looking for favors. But Yoon Seung-Won has already internalized that sex with men is done behind closed doors.
While the father only thought about himself, when he used his eldest son as scapegoat in order to divert from his loss of power and banishment, he never realized that he ruined Yoon Seungwon’s chances for a career, especially after he served as a role model for his second son. Because the young master has learned from his own father that he can gain power and attention by utilizing Yoon Seungho, he copied his method. He learned from him the easy way how to become an important official, he never saw his father working hard. Father Yoon didn’t anticipate that his younger son would copy him and end up being stigmatized due to Yoon Seungho. Slowly, the young master will realize the father’s hypocrisy and flaws. Only through karma, Yoon Seung-Won can recognize his wrongdoings so that he can ask for his brother’s forgiveness.
Since I detect some parallels between this image and the one from chapter 1, I believe that the author will use certain elements from episode 1. That’s why I came to the idea that Yoon Seung-Won could have been lying too. 
(chapter 1). It’s possible that Yoon Seung-Won lies about his brother’s support (he says “YES”) in the hope of getting connections and help. Or he acts, as if he had rekindled his relationship with his brother. But what happens is that people push him away or start looking down on him. Then the manhwaphiles will certainly recall how the artist got abducted in that scene. 
(chapter 1)
But if he attracts attention from people by using his brother’s name, this signifies that he will get the attention from Joseon’s ruler. It is definitely possible that the king is behind the brother’s abduction. One thing is sure: the person orchestrating the kidnapping values family and traditions, imagining that if the brother gets abducted, Yoon Seungho will intervene and rescue his brother. Therefore the mastermind has no idea of the impact of the topknot on Yoon Seungho’s mentality. Naturally, Min, the scholar, Heena and father Lee could be involved, as they all pay attention to social norms and notoriety too.
So when the young master arrives in Hanyang, he announces the Yoons’ return which can not escape the king’s notice. That’s how he gets abducted by the king. Since I have already portrayed the monarch as obsessive and abusive, there’s no doubt that he could never forget Yoon Seungho. By abducting the brother, the king is hoping that the brother will intervene and rescue his brother, just like he sacrificed himself in the past for his family. However, what happens is that Yoon Seungho will ignore the kidnapping, for he no longer views Yoon Seung-Won as his brother. Simultaneously, such an abduction and sequestration would help Yoon Seung-Won to recognize his father’s selfishness, greed and ruthlessness. The latter could make a similar deal with the ruler so that father Yoon can make a comeback.
In the monarch’s mind, Yoon Seungho didn’t desire to take the exam in order to keep his distance from him. But the return of the Yoons coincides with the scholar’s sponsoring, and the king could view these two elements that Yoon Seungho has regained his sanity, and is determined to use the learned sir and the family Yoon to get power over the officials and protect himself from the ruler. It is also possible that the scholar doesn’t get noticed by the ruler, for the rumors circulating about him only appeared in the countryside. 
(chapter 52) That’s why it is likely that the king only pays attention to the brother’s arrival and overlooks the learned sir. Let’s not forget that he passed the first exam in the town and not in the capital. The difference between the grapevines in the countryside and the capital explicates why the monarch has not heard of Yoon Seungho’s metamorphosis yet. As a conclusion, Yoon Seung-Won’s exam will be seen as a signal that Yoon Seungho is now sane in his mind, especially if the former acts, as if he was close to his brother.
There’s no doubt that the king hasn’t forgotten him at all, but since the noble was definitely suicidal and crazy, 
(chapter 57)
the ruler didn’t desire to face the consequences of his wrongdoings, and entrusted his lover to the so-called loyal butler Kim. This would explicate why Yoon Seungho became the owner of the Yoons’ proprieties in the countryside and in the capital. The king felt sorry and thought that by acting generous, he would make his crimes go away. Remember that Yoon Seungho chose to turn Baek Na-Kyum into a noble for his wrongdoings. 
(chapter 71) The monarch could have done the same, making Yoon Seungho the true lord of the Yoons. That’s why father Yoon chose to ruin his son’s reputation out of resent and hatred. The latter had “won”, while father Yoon was sent into exile!!
At the same time, this signifies that the valet was a double agent, he was supposed to take care of the young master, until he had recovered. 
(older version of chapter 33) And under this new light, it would explain Kim’s philosophy: lie low and feign ignorance. He had to incite Yoon Seungho to fall into debauchery
(chapter 55), that way the lord wouldn’t get the king’s attention. The latter would think, the young man was still traumatized. On the other hand, father Yoon thought that Kim was following his order: create a scandal and live in debauchery in order to divert attention from the purge of noble families close to the Yoons and father Yoon’s loss of power. Nevertheless the king was still hoping that with time, the young man would recover. So if he abducts Yoon Seung-Won, it is his way to approach his ex-lover. Since the young master is supported by his brother, the Joseon king has the impression that Yoon Seungho is avoiding him. He wants the protagonist to rekindle their relationship. And if this theory is correct, then this means that we would have a new version of the painter’s abduction in the second season. Remember that Lee Jihwa desired to get closer to Yoon Seungho by taking away the artist.
As a conclusion, the brother’s abduction definitely fits the story. In my opinion, it would even speed up the progression of the story. Simultaneously, this terrible situation would be an eye-opener for Yoon Seung-Won. Put in the same place than Yoon Seungho, he would be forced to recognize his sins and his father’s. He would recognize that lying and dishonesty are sins and as such can have terrible consequences. Remember that in the first episode, the painter’s lie caused the death of a servant, and in case of a new repetition, Yoon Seung-Won would pay his sin by getting tormented. Besides, he would be reminded of his past and recognize that back then he also betrayed and abandoned his brother. (chapter 55) He might have been stopped by the father here. Yet if he had lied before, he didn’t assume his responsibility by not revealing the truth. There’s no ambiguity that the young master was jealous of his brother in his youth, and must have lied about his brother. We already have a clue thanks to the episode from Alternative Universe: 
(special episode 2)
Sure, he never anticipated such a reaction from his father, yet the moment he remained silent, he became guilty. And since the sinners are always confronted with a similar situation, this means that Yoon Seung-Won will lie for the third time. This time, he will be caught and suffer the consequences of his dishonesty. He might look handsome, but he is far from being perfect. He is just a human, while father Yoon is a monster. Consequently, the young brother has the chance to redeem himself contrary to father Yoon. Why am I am so hopeful? It is because of the shoes!! The younger master removed his shoes before approaching the door of the host’s bedchamber. With this gesture, he showed a certain respect towards his brother. 
He imitated his brother in this aspect 😉, though he was not aware of this. 
(chapter 37) 
(chapter 53) Notice that Deok-Jae didn’t even remove his shoes, when he ransacked the painter’s study. Imagine, this detail only caught my attention today! That’s why I am predicting that we should see the kidnapping in a good way. Through pain, only the good persons will acknowledge their mistakes and express regrets.
That’s why this manhwa is called “PAIN”ter Of The Night, the suffering will bring enlightenment to the victims.
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.
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Power and salvation
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Tears and characters – part 2 – second version
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Karma (third version) 💩🕉
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Yoon Seungho’s suffering path (fourth version)
Painter Of The Night: Farewell
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhin.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes.
Striking is that when I started writing this morning, I had no idea that my topic would fit with chapter 70. What caught my attention in chapter 69 was the way Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum bid farewell to Heena noona, his sister, which contrasts so much to the scholar’s goodbye. Therefore I decided to compare them, and then I realized that there existed other farewells. In the manhwa, we have seven different sendoffs:
- The first goodbye occurs in chapter 35, when the learned sir is decided to visit the former servant from the Yoons household. While the painter follows his teacher, he doesn’t realize that Jung In-Hun is leaving the mansion, until the low noble caresses his cheek and reminds him of his duty.
Then he closes the main gate in front of Baek Na-Kyum who is deeply disappointed and hurt.
- Yoon Seungwon is sent off by the butler, when the former leaves his brother’s mansion.
(chapter 37) - The younger master Yoon is leaving his father’s home in order to go to Hanyang (chapter 44)
- Jung In-Hun is departing from his sponsor’s propriety for the capital (chapter 44) after taking the first round of the civil service examination
- The painter is leaving the kisaeng house on Heena noona’s order.
(chapter 46) - Heena noona with her brother and his lord
(chapter 69) - In chapter 70, Baek Na-Kyum recalls an important goodbye from his youth. Back then, the young boy was sad and upset after departing from Heena noona. He had been entrusted to the scholar Jung In-Hun.
What do these adieux have in common?
| Chapter | People involved in the farewell |
| 35 | Baek Na-Kyum, Jung In-Hun, Yoon Seungho, Kim |
| 37 | Yoon Seungwon, Yoon Seungho, Kim and Baek Na-Kyum |
| 44 | Yoon Seungwon, father Yoon, Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum through the painting |
| 44 | Jung In-Hun, Yoon Seungho, Baek Na-Kyum and valet Kim |
| 46 | Heena noona, Baek Na-Kyum, noonas and Jung In-Hun |
| 69 | Heena noona, Yoon Seungho, valet Kim and Baek Na-Kyum |
| 70 | Heena noona, Jung In-Hun, Baek Na-Kyum and the moon |
Observe that all seven goodbyes are revolving around four people, although the adieu was just between two persons. Moreover, the main leads, Yoon Seungho and Baek Na-Kyum, are always involved. You might argue that in the seventh case, it is not possible. But I would like to remind my readers that I have already associated the main lead Yoon Seungho to the moon. Furthermore, the teacher’s words about the moon (“fond of you”) 
are mirrored in the lord’s confession from chapter 56. 
Therefore, we could say that he was present in the farewell as well, because the scholar kept referring the moon to the innocent boy. Since I have already pointed that in each departing two people got involved, this means that their relationship is strongly intertwined with other bonds. Relatives or acquaintances affect the farewell.
Striking is that the way they part from each other exposes the true nature of their relationship. In the first case, the scholar just faked his concern for the artist’s health, whereas he desired to use the commoner as spy.
That’s why he gave him an order “you ought to head back in” and the painter couldn’t argue. Moreover, the learned sir asked him to keep his promise, he needed him to work for him.
What caught my attention is the silence from the painter. At no moment, he can speak and bid farewell, and this is understandable due to the noble’s remarks. Although the commoner wasn’t the one leaving, he had the impression that he was abandoned. This explicates why the artist was wounded by this departure. 
Striking is that this scene was observed by the main lead and his butler. While the noble felt himself betrayed and abandoned, he was indeed relieved in the end that Baek Na-Kyum had remained by his side. Consequently, the first departure was marked by disappointment and heartache from the protagonists. Both felt helpless, as they had no saying in this. Since the closed gate resembled more to a jail gate than a real home, I come to the conclusion that both main characters were trapped in reality. This explains why the lord feared the painter’s departure. He had the impression that if the latter set a foot outside, the noble would end up alone again. Another aspect is that this farewell forced the aristocrat to leave his room and window, he had to run to the gate… a desperate measure to stop this moment.
Now it is time to examine the next goodbye. The brother was officially on the verge of departing from his brother, but the host was not present. Hence there’s no real goodbye. Since the main lead didn’t show him any respect by following him to the gate, the younger master was just followed by the butler. Moreover, the latter gave him in his master’s name a letter, like the younger master had requested it in the morning. From my point of view, the brother’s smile 
is an indication that he believed that his personal visitation had been successful. By pressuring his brother, he had finally been able to get the reply he desired. But the reality must have hit him hard later, because in the end, he just got a ruined painting of sodomy. And this explicates why the father ended up receiving the paper from his younger son. 
In other words, Seungwon decided to get revenge on the humiliation. Besides, I also think that he hoped that with such a gesture, father Yoon would make the decision to pay his rebellious son a visit and have him punished for his lack of respect. But what Yoon Seungwon seemed to overlook is that when he barged into his brother’s mansion, he showed no real respect either. 
Imagine, he even desired to open the door of Yoon Seungho’s bedchamber. Hence, it is not surprising that the eldest brother didn’t follow his brother to the main gate. He didn’t feel obliged to pay his respect to Yoon Seungwon. To sum up, in this farewell, both characters were quite rude to each other, and Yoon Seungho showed no leniency towards the younger master, as the latter had violated the social norms first. This animosity was even encouraged by the valet’s intervention. And let’s not forget that in that scene, Yoon Seungho chose the painter over his brother. He asked him to remain by his side, because he was too upset and wounded by Yoon Seungwon’s sudden appearance and selfish request.
In the third case, Yoon Seungwon was waiting for his father, but since the door remained closed, he decided to depart from home.
There’s no doubt that this must have indeed disappointed Yoon Seungwon. His father still chose to focus his attention to Yoon Seungho instead of him, hence he kept looking at the closed door. Yet before leaving he blamed his oldest brother for his father’s lack of concern and respect. Striking is that the main lead was not present, yet through his mention, the brother gave the impression that Yoon Seungho was still part of the family despite the incident with the topknot and the long separation. Yet, Yoon Seungwon felt bothered that his own father didn’t even pay attention to customs. He didn’t send off like a respectful and dutiful father either. From my perspective, it looks like the younger master was trying to cover up the lack of father Yoon’s manners by making the main lead responsible for this. We shouldn’t forget that the main character was considered as the black sheep of the Yoons. At the same time, the younger brother was attempting to make himself look good, because unlike the head of family, the former paid his respect to his father before. With a single panel, we can conclude that Yoon Seungwon is acting, as if he was a honorable and dutiful son, contrary to his older brother, who upset father Yoon so much that the latter forgot his duties. The irony is that while the younger master talks about his brother, the latter has no opportunity to contradict this, as he is not present. On the other hand, the brother’s words are somehow true, because the father is indeed infuriated due to the ruined painting. On the other hand, the younger master played a role in this as well, because he was the one wo delivered the painting. Moreover, like I have already underlined, I am no longer thinking that Yoon Seungho entrusted it deliberately to his brother as an affront for the simple reason that Yoon Seungho still fears his father. Let’s not forget Yoon Seungho’s words addressed to his brother. Here, he reminded him that he was living according to their father’s principles, showing that despite the abandonment and betrayal, he never dared to drop his father’s doctrines. From my point of view, the ruined painting was given by Kim on purpose, to incite the father to intervene. Besides, we shouldn’t forget that the “letter” was delivered after the brother had parted from Yoon Seungho. Hence the main lead never got to see what the butler did behind his back. Another evidence for this misdeed is the absence of the valet’s eyes. Since Kim had told his master that he needed to deliver an answer personally, the butler used this request to his advantage. And Yoon Seungwon is too naive to realize that he has been misled, that’s why he is also represented without eyes. The manhwaphiles should recall that in this scene, the younger master was humiliated, as his elder brother didn’t send him off properly. Why should he give a letter under such circumstances? And if we compare the three goodbyes, we will detect the recurrence of discourtesy and the missed opportunity of saying goodbye properly.
In the fourth case, we also have the absence of a third person: the painter. Yoon Seungho invited the teacher to bid farewell to his former student through his rhetorical question, 
but Jung In-Hun didn’t care. In his eyes, he was just a low-born, and the former didn’t need him at all. 
Striking is that the low noble paid his respect to his sponsor out of obligation and nothing more. As long as Yoon Seungho was useful, then the learned sir would have to be polite and respectful. That’s why he bowed in front of the wealthy aristocrat. In other words, the scholar’s bow is fake which stands in opposition to the artist’s bow in chapter 69. 
More importantly is that in this fourth farewell, the artist didn’t get the opportunity to bid farewell properly to his former teacher too. Neither Jung In-Hun nor Kim had informed him about the time of his departure. Striking is that in that chapter, the rich main lead was the only one who desired to make the painter happy, hence he suggested the low noble to depart properly from the low-born. What caught my attention is the opened door in front of the painter. 
Why was the door left open like that? The manhwaphiles should remember that in that scene, Kim was already aware of the discussion between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum at the library. And with this new approach, it becomes clear, Kim was hoping that the artist would leave the place, since he had been insulted and abandoned by his teacher. He had no reason to remain by Yoon Seungho’s side. Besides, we shouldn’t forget the noble’s words addressed to the learned sir: 
In other words, Kim was just waiting for the low-born’s departure, and in order to push the painter to leave the mansion, he made sure that he wouldn’t see Jung In-Hun leaving. This would reinforce the betrayal and abandonment issues the painter had felt due to the scholar’s attitude and words before. Moreover, we shouldn’t forget the parting between Jung In-Hun and his former pupil in chapter 35. Note that in both farewells, the young man had no saying. In the first incident, he got caught by surprise and in the second goodbye, the learned sir was already gone. Since this closed door contrasts so much to the open gate in episode 44, and in both chapters Kim was present, I come to the deduction that the butler was observing the low-born in the shadow. In his mind, if the door was left open, the artist would leave without saying goodbye to anyone. Striking is that despite the previous desertion and wound, Baek Na-Kyum was still showing respect towards his learned sir, indicating that despite his heartache, he was willing to overlook everything. There’s no doubt that the missed goodbye did increase the artist’s abandonment issues. And here again, I detect the lack of respect towards the main leads. The scholar might have bowed in front of Yoon Seungho, yet he rejected the noble’s suggestion and even started plotting behind his back, how he would use the painter for his own benefit. 
And it is time to focus on the parting between Heena noona, the artist and the noble. Striking is that for the first time, the lord left his room and walked towards the painter and his guest.
In other words, he was showing her a huge respect and as such biding her farewell. He even acted as a real host, because he offered to send her off with a servant from his mansion in order to guarantee her safety. And if you keep in mind that he did nothing for his own brother, and the latter is a noble, while Heena noona is just a kisaeng, you’ll detect how much the lord has already changed. He is definitely determined to keep the artist by his side, hence he is aware that he needs to show him a different side from him. He definitely heard the painter’s confession, because in chapter 70 Yoon Seungho asked the low-born directly if he was afraid of him. 
And with this new approach, the main lead did succeed. Baek Na-Kyum was able to recognize the lord’s leniency and honorable attitude. And contrary to the scholar’s bow in chapter 44, the artist is sincerely showing his respect towards his master. On the other hand, the disrespect is still present here. The one showing a rude attitude is the guest, the kisaeng. 
She keeps questioning the lord’s authority and personality. However at no moment, the aristocrat doesn’t lose his temper. In fact, he even retreats, until the kisaeng’s brother intervenes to stop her. Another huge difference contrasting to the departure of chapter 35 and 44 is the change of attitude of both protagonists. While with the scholar, Baek Na-Kyum could say nothing and had to resign to his fate, in chapter 69 he is the one speaking. Unlike in the past, he is the one sending off the loved one. But there’s more to it. Not only he can decide about his noona’s departure, but also he can choose the way he bids her farewell. He can hug her, he takes his time 
and smiles. 
For the first time, he feels that he is not left behind, but he can determine his fate. Imagine in the past, he used to be sent away by his noona and he couldn’t protest.
but the worst is that he even had to leave the kisaeng house and walked through the countryside. Try to put yourself in his place: Each time, he could never say goodbye and had to leave the place. He got carried away, when he was young and later, he was simply ordered to leave the kisaeng house without biding farewell properly. 
In this adieu, the kisaeng’s words and the panel indicated that he was ordered to leave the kisaeng house without his noonas’ knowledge. With her rhetorical question, she forced the painter to resign to his fate. Besides, the readers can one more time notice that in this scene, the artist remained silent as well. As a conclusion, the painter’s abandonment issues are related to the fact that he was forced to leave and he couldn’t take his time to bid farewell properly. He was either caught by surprise (35, 44, 46) or simply too powerless (68,70). In other words, neither Heena noona nor Jung In-Hun respected the painter’s wishes. Sure, the head-kisaeng sent him away in order to protect him. Yet like I underlined it before, she was definitely too overwhelmed with her situation. With these observations, I deduce that the moment the lord chose to respect the painter’s will
despite his own insecurities, the painter could only select him. For the first time, a person was willing to listen to the low-born’s voice. And the moment Yoon Seungho treated Heena noona with respect and even allowed the painter to bid farewell properly
, his behavior could only reinforce the painter’s choice. In other words, he gave the power to the painter to determine his fate and as such reinforced his certainty. For the first time, Baek Na-Kyum was able to send someone away and not the other way around. He could also choose his fate. Simultaneously, the painter helped the powerful aristocrat to witness with his own eyes that he was not left behind and was selected. Both helped each other to overcome their abandonment issues. And this explains why after the departure, Baek Na-Kyum remembers the past. Back then, he was hurt because he had been dragged again from his noona. The scholar tried to console him by saying that the moon was always by his side, 
but this couldn’t truly comfort the artist. And because in chapter 69, the painter experienced for the first time a real good farewell, he could only recall this incident. But unlike in the past, the moon appears differently. 
In my opinion, this scene is important, as it symbolizes that Baek Na-Kyum is finally able to perceive the lord. And for the first time, he looks at the satellite with a certain fascination. He stands still and doesn’t sense the coldness. For me, this panel announces that the painter has finally perceived the lord’s presence. I would even say that the picture implies that Baek Na-Kyum is slowly accepting the existence of Yoon Seungho in his life. Unlike in the past 
, he is not sad and not thinking too deeply as well. 
The lord is indeed replacing the scholar, the painter doesn’t need his comfort any longer. Why? Because unlike in the past, the powerful noble allowed him to part from his sister properly, which the teacher never did. Remember what I had denunciated in a former analysis: the scholar hid behind the boy in order to avoid any responsibility for the brutal incidents at the kisaeng house. In other words, the teacher is responsible for the low-born’s abandonment issues. What Jung In-Hun never imagined is that he was right about the moon. Yoon Seungho, represented by the moon, has fallen in love with him. However, if you recall that the adieux between Yoon Seungwon, father Yoon and the main lead, you will notice that the aristocrat has not overcome his abandonment issues yet. How could he, since the father left him behind after humiliating him like that (incident with the topknot)? He never had the opportunity to bid farewell to his family properly, since the latter treated him with disrespect. And this explicates why Yoon Seungho asks the painter not to push him away at the end. 
The missed goodbyes were the reasons why both main characters were deeply hurt in the past, both victims of circumstances due to the actions of selfish and ruthless people.
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 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: Love and trust
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/
Feel free to 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.
- “You may not always trust the people you love, but you can always love the people you trust.”
- “The best proof of love is TRUST.”
- “When mistrust comes in, loves goes out. -Irish proverb”
What do these quotes have in common? They all underline that trust is more valuable than love, and trust is a condition for true love. Without this virtue, love is unstable, and can even vanish. Striking is that chapter 69 was centered on faith and confidence. Baek Na-Kyum chose to remain by Yoon Seungho’s side despite his fear and doubts.
Although he had to listen to many arguments from his sister, he decided to believe in the lord’s love confession. Yoon Seungho did exactly the same: he chose to wait for the painter’s resolution. Therefore this signifies that he decided to trust the artist’s will. In other words, both protagonists took a leap of faith, although they were scared and full of doubts.
That’s why when the lord put the scarf around the painter’s neck and added that he believed in the artist’s words
, Baek Na-Kyum could only be moved. With these words, Yoon Seungho was not only showing his care and gentleness, but he was expressing his confidence in the low-born. The latter could feel it through his eyes and ears. Simultaneously, Baek Na-Kyum reciprocated this mark of faith. First, he obeyed to the noble’s order.
Secondly, he allowed the main lead to touch him with the scarf. This submission was different from the past, because the painter was totally honest here and not wounded. Then after covering the artist’s throat, the lord pays attention to the low-born’s reaction.
He sees with his own eyes that this simple but tender gesture has already affected Baek Na-Kyum. The latter keeps blushing and if the manhwaphiles look carefully at the commoner’s gaze, they will detect a glimpse of hope due to the light in the eyes. This explicates why Yoon Seungho allows his loved one to follow his noona to the gate in order to bid farewell properly. As you can observe, both main characters are starting trusting each other despite the wounds and fear. They are actually applying what the famous author Ernest Hemingway once wrote:
The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.
However, the improvement of their relationship coincides with the deterioration of Baek Na-Kyum’s bond with Heena noona. This is not surprising that the kisaeng is already jealous of Yoon Seungho.
She blames him for affecting her relationship to her “brother and son”. That’s why she glares at the protagonist. Their mistrust is actually mutual. 
In her eyes, the main lead can be the only reason why Baek Na-Kyum is no longer listening to her advices and requests. In the past, he used to be so obedient and never talk back to her. He rejected not only her suggestions, but also her hand. 
For the first time, she was pushed away, that’s why she got so shocked. In that moment, she could no longer be blind, hence the author zoomed on her gaze. 
And now, you are wondering why I am talking about chapter 68, when my main focus was chapter 69. The reason is simple: Heena noona is actually becoming more daring and defiant, because she feels legitimated in her actions. She has the impression, Baek Na-Kyum has become submissive due to the noble’s abuse. Let’s not forget that the artist also portrayed Yoon Seungho in a rather negative light before 
and he even added that he didn’t want to love him. With such words, the kisaeng’s prejudices about Yoon Seungho could only get reinforced. No wonder that she can’t trust the painter’s decision. Since Baek Na-Kyum was not brave enough to become responsible for his feelings and let the aristocrat take the “blame”, the noona could only take his words as face-value. Yoon Seungho was accountable for this situation, and the painter’s affection for him was not real, just an illusion. Since the painter didn’t trust himself, Heena noona couldn’t trust him as well. This explicates why she remains blind and deaf in chapter 69 and why Byeonduck drew her without eyes in this panel. 
When the painter gave her the scarf, she is not capable of recognizing the signification of the gesture, because she doesn’t trust Baek Na-Kyum’s judgement. In her eyes, her son and brother has the impression, he is mature enough to take care of her, but the reality is different. She is sure that Baek Na-Kyum is making a huge mistake, he is trusting the wrong person. That’s why I judge the last panel as a contradiction to the following picture: Mistrust versus trust. If you compare both images, you’ll notice the difference in the attitude. Baek Na-Kyum is lowering his head, putting his faith in the lord’s hands, while Heena noona is looking straight, exuding a certain confidence and defiance. She is definitely not trusting her adoptive son and brother. It was, as though she was closing her eyes to reality. She can’t come to terms with the new situation and her son’s decision. That’s why her eyes are missing, whereas in the panel with Baek Na-Kyum, the perspective is the reason why the readers can’t see the painter’s gaze. However, due to the slight bow, the artist shows trust and respect.
Besides, if I examine the characters’ behavior more precisely, I detect a huge switch. While in chapter 65, Heena noona appeared fearless, confident and selfless, in episode 69, she is reckless, arrogant and selfish. Why do I perceive her like that? First, she ignores the fact that the lord treats her as a guest despite her status, because he appears the moment she leaves. It was, as if he wanted to pay her a certain respect, especially in the moment he answers her question
and adds that one of his servants will accompany her to the kisaeng house. Secondly, she questions Yoon Seungho’s decision, ignoring the fact that she did violate laws by entering the mansion with her guards. The tone she speaks to Yoon Seungho is disrespectful, because her sentence is not even completed. But this doesn’t end here. When she starts arguing with him “What kind of…”, the lord replies while remaining calm. 
Sure, he is firm, when he justifies his resolution, yet simultaneously this indicates that Yoon Seungho is listening to her despite her rudeness. I have to admit that it took me some time to interpret the following image: 
My first impression was that the lord was approaching Heena, but after pondering for a while, I came to a different deduction. In fact, this is the opposite: Heena noona is the one approaching Yoon Seungho, although the words from the protagonist gives the impression, he is confident and determined. In other words, the kisaeng keeps defying the host. She is the one threatening the main lead, this explicates why Baek Na-Kyum intervenes and puts himself between them. However, unlike in chapter 30
, the painter is here protecting Yoon Seungho. That’s why he yells at Heena: 
This displays that he is not protecting his sister here, he definitely disapproves her attitude. That’s why Baek Na-Kyum sides with the lord and is grateful for his behavior. 
Another evidence for the kisaeng’s threatening attitude is the master’s exhausted gaze. The return of “lord Seungho” exposes that the low-born is truly grateful with the lord’s decision and generosity. The commoner is able to recognize his honorable manners. Moreover, this shows either that the painter is trusting his words. This is not surprising that the noble is surprised and touched by the “thank you” 
, as it is a first for Yoon Seungho. No one has ever thanked him before, his guests took everything for granted, not even the painter. And with the return of respect, trust can only flourish and as such love. This new gaze from the aristocrat astonishes the painter as well. In my opinion, the painter witnesses a different gaze for the first time: his gaze is no longer impenetrable.
He can see through him, and sense his true soul. That’s why Baek Na-Kyum is moved and feels awkward. 
And now, you understand why the author chose to draw Baek Na-Kyum’s chin
, which is similar to the following panel: 
(chapter 35). Back then, the lord was exhausted and on the verge of giving up, until he saw the artist’s blush, which made him smile and gave him strength and hope again. In my opinion, the painter is in a similar situation, in the sense that he is already sensing that Heena noona is determined to reject Yoon Seungho. There’s a certain disappointment, that’s why he sends the kisaeng away. He realizes that Heena noona is not willing to show any compromise and respect towards Yoon Seungho. She has already made up her mind. Although he still loves her, the confrontation before has created a certain mistrust and riff between them.
Another important aspect is the hug between Baek Na-Kyum and his “adoptive mother”. Note that here the artist’s gaze is missing. From my perspective, the embrace is less affectionate and genuine, especially if you compare it to this hug: 
Don’t get me wrong: both characters still love each other, yet the disagreement from before and Heena noona’s behavior has already disturbed Baek Na-Kyum. Furthermore, observe that the kisaeng seizes the opportunity to influence her “son”. 
Therefore I judge the embrace as less honest and more selfish from her part. She keeps attempting to change his mind. She is refusing to accept his resolution, hence neither the hug nor the scarf let her forget her decision: Baek Na-Kyum should follow her and not remain by Yoon Seungho’s side. This explicates why the warning from the servant in front of the kisaeng house ignites her resistance to resign to her fate. It pushes her to fight back. 
She can not trust her “son’s” judgement, because in her mind the painter has been negatively influenced by the main lead.
However, I believe that Heena noona is mistaken here. The origin of her argument with the artist is not the noble. In my opinion, she never trusted the artist from the start. Why? She feared that he would cause trouble. Let’s not forget that in the past, Baek Na-Kyum’s cry in front of her getting beaten was his way to protest and his desire to protect her. Because she wanted to keep him out of trouble, she relied on the scholar to take away Baek Na-Kyum from the kisaeng house. In her mind, she was actually making the best decision: she was protecting him. However, she never reflected on the impact of her choice. She let the painter consider himself as a burden. Why? He couldn’t help her, moreover he had the impression that he was a source of trouble. That’s why he was entrusted to the scholar. The more she relied on Jung In-Hun, the more Baek Na-Kyum’s self-esteem was affected. This explicates why Baek Na-Kyum couldn’t tell her that he was still illiterate. That’s why his low self-esteem is palpable in chapter 40. He feels very embarrassed, when he has to admit that he can only read a few characters. 
The worst is that the kisaeng still doesn’t know that he can’t write. 
If he revealed his illiteracy, he feared that she might get upset. Moreover, there is no ambiguity that the scholar made sure that Baek Na-Kyum would be blamed for his incapacities. Since Heena noona always viewed the teacher as a trustworthy person, but she didn’t trust the painter’s personality, the artist could only internalize the criticisms from Jung In-Hun. In his eyes, he must have been too stupid and was responsible for his inability, especially when Heena noona kept praising the low noble. Besides, since Baek Na-Kyum had been abandoned since his birth, he felt pressured to please Heena noona and never question her words and judgement. He followed her advices and prejudices blindly with the hope that he would get trusted by her. There’s no doubt that she loves him, yet love without real trust can only deteriorate the relationship in the long run. And now, imagine how the painter must have felt, when she entrusted him to Jung In-Hun. His insecurities must have increased. 
Moreover, due to her words, when she is justifying her resolution with the painter’s love and admiration, she gives the impression that she is trying to impose her own feelings onto her “adoptive son and brother”.
Furthermore, I would like to point out the following problem: Heena is called “noona” by Baek Na-Kyum and not mother. So strictly speaking, she is just an older sister, yet she acts like a mother. So why is she not called “mother”? It was, as if she didn’t want to assume her responsibility as a mother. If she is just a noona, she is less accountable. Then if we take into consideration that she kept using the low noble in order to protect the young boy, we have to question her intentions: did she feel too burdened by Baek Na-Kyum, hence she wanted to share her responsibility with the scholar? Or did she use the boy in order to get the scholar’s attention and love in order to create a bond with him? I do believe that calling her “Heena noona” must have reinforced Baek Na-Kyum’s insecurities in the end. On the other hand, in chapter 69, she definitely acts like a mother, who is unfortunately narrow-minded and selfish. She doesn’t trust her son.
Moreover, since his childhood Heena noona kept sending him away, hence he continued experiencing abandonment over and over again… That’s why his bound with the scholar was reinforced, he represented his last anchor. 
And now, the manhwaphiles can sense why Baek Na-Kyum’s critical thinking was never developed. His desire to be accepted led him to become submissive and silent. Furthermore, he was never allowed to express himself (anger, powerlessness, fear etc.) The hug was used to shut his mouth. Due to her overprotectiveness, the kisaeng affected the painter’s personality: she increased his insecurities so that he withdrew more and more, and found refuge in painting. At the same time, he tried to please Heena noona more and more, therefore he adopted her prejudices and her admiration for the scholar. From my perspective, the kisaeng’s biased vision is the result of her own seclusion. She lives in the kisaeng house, hence she doesn’t interact with commoners in general. Her judgement about people is based on her own experiences, therefore she generalizes: rich nobles are all bad. She doesn’t realize that commoners and poor nobles are also humans, hence they can also be selfish and ruthless. Remember what I wrote before: her perception is influenced by appearances. What she sees leads her to judge people. Servants are humbly dressed, then she thinks, they are modest and not sneaky.
What bothers me the most is that she has never wondered why Baek Na-Kyum didn’t write her all this time. Moreover, it looks like she never wrote to him, because she doesn’t say “reply”, but write. Why doesn’t she write to him too? It was, as if she didn’t want to keep in touch with him. And the way she deals with the new situation is quite telling: she is again forcing her perception without showing any respect towards the artist. Since neither her words, nor the caress nor the hug helped her, she has to find another way. That’s why I believe that she will hurt the painter in the end.
For me, Heena noona is represented by the following quote: Love makes people blind. This explicates why she misjudged Jung In-Hun, and why she disliked seeing Baek Na-Kyum’s cry. On the one hand, she associated his tears and shouting to trouble, on the other hand she couldn’t bear the thought that her son was in pain. Hence she thought caress and love were the right answers for these terrible situations. At the same time, she must have felt uncomfortable too, hence she is called Heena noona. Sure, the kisaeng is a honest and loving “adoptive mother”, but love is not enough to raise a child, especially if you are really young. From my point of view, she was definitely too young, when she adopted him and got too overwhelmed by the huge weight of responsibility. Hence she relied on others to share her “burden”.
And in that chapter, Baek Na-Kyum is slowly distancing himself from her, indicating that he is maturing. As a son, he wants to become responsible for her. Hence he gives her the scarf. He would like her to trust him, something he never did in the past. That’s why he smiles at the end. He would like to reassure her. There is no ambiguity that if Heena noona participates in the kidnapping, because she has been misled, the painter will definitely confront her and even criticize her for her bad decisions, and reveal the truth about the scholar.
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 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.
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Painting and desires – part 3 (second version)
Painter Of The Night: Painting and desires – part 2 (fourth version)
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhin.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. 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/
Thanks to my reader @nakyuhm, I could definitely improve this version.
I guess, you are surprised by the choice of the picture for the illustration, but as you can guess, there’s reason for this. While reading the second episode from Alternative Universe, two elements caught my attention: the role played by the servant Jung In-Hun and the words said by the main lead Yoon Seungho to the noble Baek Na-Kyum.
First, the domestic shows kindness and care to his young master
reminding me of the butler Kim in the original, implying that we have a fake affection. But if Jung In-Hun replaces Kim, it signifies that Baek Na-Kyum is now living the life of the noble Yoon Seungho in the original story. From that moment, I tried to verify this theory: We have an older sister who seems to be jealous of her younger brother, because she mocks him by calling him a baby. The source of her resent is simple: since Baek Na-Kyum is the only son of their family, he always gets the attention and admiration from the father, while she, as an older sister, is overlooked due to her gender. Hence I connected her to Yoon Seung-Won, the younger brother, for I had already pointed out in one of my former analyses that there existed a certain jealousy between them due to their father. This was truly palpable in this incident. Back then, I had imagined that it was related to the topknot incident. However, I think now that what we are witnessing is a straw mat beating. The younger master, who betrayed his older brother out of jealousy, never imagined that his father would retaliate like that. He had envisioned that his brother would get into trouble and loses the father’s admiration, yet not to this extent. Another allusion to jealousy was the words expressed by the main lead, when he confessed to his lover: 
(chapter 55) From my point of view, he was reliving his past, when he saw his brother getting the father’s attention. Let’s not forget that this story is based on the principle: history keeps repeating itself, therefore the jealousy resented towards the low noble was the present, while in the past, Yoon Seungho resented his brother in the past, it was the moment where jealousy reached his peak. That’s why I saw the roles played by the sister and Jung In-Hun as a confirmation that Byeonduck had chosen to reveal the protagonist’s past in the Alternative Universe by switching their places. Yet, this means that the readers will always see the uke suffering. She desires the readers to imagine the main lead’s traumatic past. While many readers are liking the Alternative Universe because of the humor and the lightness, I am convinced that we are actually headed to a huge tragedy, a repetition of the original story… as it represents Yoon Seungho’s past. On the other hand, it is important to remember that although this is just a repetition of the story, we shouldn’t forget that the story is not simply a pure repetition, as the elements and the chronology are changed. As a conclusion, Baek Na-Kyum will suffer a similar tragedy than the protagonist in the main story, yet it will also be a little different, maybe less painful.
But if Baek Na-Kyum represents the powerful noble Yoon Seungho from the original story, this means that the latter was a painter too. What caught my attention is the following panel: 
He showed the picture, while saying that it was signed Na-Min. However, if the readers pay attention to the painting, there’s no signature on it. Besides, I doubt that as a commoner, he is able to read, remember that the artist in the original story can’t read either. One might argue that the shopkeeper told him the name of the creator, when he showed him the painting. Yet, this argument is incorrect for three reasons. First, the merchant had no reason to mention him, because the former knows that Baek Na-Kyum is selling his pictures directly in order to keep his hobby a secret. Moreover, imagine, Baek Na-Kyum portrayed the famous sodomite Yoon Seungho who is a commoner. The merchant would have questioned him about the circumstances, how he got a painting from the noble. How could the innocent noble have painted the commoner as model? This would have shocked the merchant. From my point of view, the shopkeeper didn’t recognize the artist’s work at all, but he proposed him 5 coins due to his greed. He must have repeated the following remarks: 
In my perspective, the trader was just repeating the criticisms heard from someone else. 
Compare the two reviews, you will notice that the commoner is much more accurate in his review. And he is able to discern the origin of the flaws for such a drawing. 
That’s why I came to the conclusion that Yoon Seungho was a painter himself. In order to become an arts critic, you need to understand the subject, therefore many painting critics are artists themselves. My explanation is that he discovered the noble’s work by sleeping with nobles. His clients would buy the pictures, which the commoner couldn’t afford himself. What caught my attention is the following panel: 
Baek Na-Kyum questions his competence with his rhetorical question. In the main lead’s eyes, Yoon Seungho doesn’t have the eye to know… and to judge his paintings. But this question made me think the exact opposite. From my point of view, Yoon Seungho recognized the artist’s style, hence he could name it. And there’s no doubt that he is familiar with his paintings. 
But unlike Baek Na-Kyum, the commoner is not famous due to his social status. And you understand why I came to this idea that the powerful noble Yoon Seungho in the original story could have been an artist in his youth, a painter and even a poet. From that moment, I started to search for clues in order to corroborate my theory.
First, I remembered this scene in chapter 36: Yoon Seungho used to punish his servants with paint. 
Note that he doesn’t say “write” but paint on their skin. This showed that the noble used to like painting. When I read chapter 36, I made the following mistake: Yoon Seungho was writing, hence I didn’t pay too much attention to his drawing on the painter’s body. However, I changed my mind, the moment I viewed his lines on Baek Na-Kyum’s body: 
It definitely looks like a plant and his lines show a certain confidence. Don’t forget that the artist was shivering due to the stroke of the brush, yet there’s no mishap or zigzag on his body. If I include the following panel from the Alternative Universe, 
then you’ll realize that it is a painting on Yoon Seungho’s body and the author is a painter. This could be judged as another evidence for my theory. A painter drew lines on the body of another artist. Therefore I come to the deduction that in chapter 36, Yoon Seungho started showing his passion to Baek Na-Kyum: he used to paint. The manhwaphiles should remember that in the previous chapter, the lord asked the commoner about his likes and dislikes. Such a conversation implies that the counterpart will also ask about the likes and dislikes of the partner. What does Yoon Seungho like in reality? My answer would be: he liked painting, but exactly like the low-born, he was forced to abandon his passion due to his father.
But this was not the first time that Yoon Seungho painted. First, in chapter 8, we have the following panel: 
someone attempted to draw a scene of men copulating. Since my hypothesis is Yoon Seungho was a painter in his youth, then it looks like he was the creator of his drawing. Then in chapter 23, the manhwaphiles certainly remember the book he showed to Baek Na-Kyum in order to revive his memory: 
Therefore Yoon Seungho could have been the author of this picture. Note the progression between the picture from chapter 8 and 23. This time, the artist included colors and the design is more precise, just like the lines are more firm. Then this would explain why Yoon Seungho knew what it meant, when an artist doesn’t practice for a long time. 
(chapter 2). In that same chapter, the artist noticed how well furnished his study was. He had such an expensive paper, and so many brushes revealing the aristocrat’s knowledge. And now it becomes comprehensible, why the lord could only laugh at the fake excuse given by Jung In-Hun in chapter 30: The low noble had brought the artist to the shop in order to buy him ink and brushes. The lord knew that the painter had everything he needed. In my opinion, Yoon Seungho was the one who took care of that room. That’s why the study is next to his bedchamber.
Another evidence for this theory is the picture Byeonduck chose as illustration for the first season of Painter Of The Night: 
Note that the drawing behind the noble is not only torn, but it was made on an expensive paper indicating that this work was made by someone rich. Secondly, Baek Na-Kyum never created such a painting in the first season for the protagonist, yet the main lead painted a similar picture in his youth: 
. However, there exist small divergences: the uke in the purple drawing is embracing his lover exposing such a passion and strong love. And since I explained that Baek Na-Kyum was making the same experiences than the main lead, it looks like the author of this painting in this picture could have been Yoon Seungho who saw two nobles making love and reproduced the scene. Furthermore, observe that the color of the drawing is purple, exactly like the color of the main lead’s robe. We know that Yoon Seungho likes purple very much, he put on a purple hanbok in order to impress the painter in chapter 23.
So in my opinion, Yoon Seungho used to paint in secret, exactly like the noble Baek Na-Kyum, as he knew that his father would never allow such a hobby. He had many reasons for that. First, since Father Yoon is portrayed as a controlling father, it means that he was paying attention to the main lead’s every move. While the father might have described painting or poetry as too feminine, the real reason for this interdiction was different. Father Yoon couldn’t allow that Yoon Seungho’s reputation outshines his own. 
Note that no one remembers the protagonist’s previous reputation. He was intelligent and talented, until father Yoon started spreading the rumor that his son was ill. He needed to get treated. Then later he portrayed him as unruly and difficult in front of people, like the former servant explained in chapter 37.
Yoon Seungho liked paintings and even poetry, a thorn in the eye for Father Yoon, as it represented a source of threat for father Yoon. There’s no ambiguity that such an ambitious and greedy man would reject arts. Why? According to my theory, the main lead is the illegitimate son of a kisaeng and the grandfather, so seeing his half-brother getting more famous would definitely infuriate him. Moreover, it would be a constant reminder of Yoon Seungho’s true origins. Finally, if Yoon Seungho became famous as an artist, he could get close to power, like for example he becomes the personal painter of the king. However, when father Yoon discovered that his son had caught the king’s attention, he realized that he could use the protagonist differently. As the king’s courtesan or prostitute, Yoon Seungho would lose all his rights. He would never get recognition and power as well, while father Yoon as his pimp would benefit from it. That’s why when the father mentions “illness”, he could definitely be referring to painting. Yoon Seungho learnt that he had to paint during the night to outlive his passion, and now you understand why I saw the combination of this illustration with the title Painter Of The Night as another possible evidence for my theory: Yoon Seungho was also a painter of the night, just like the noble Baek Na-Kyum in the Alternative Universe.
Another point supporting this theory would the appearance of designs on the main lead’s hanboks. This clearly reveals his passion for drawings and he has such a fine eye for designs: 
(chapter 45) 
(chapter 50) 
(chapter 53) and 
(chapter 67) Even when he died in a figurative sense, the last hanbok indicates that his liking for drawings has not died yet. Nevertheless, all the pattern have something in common: the presence of nature. There are always animals or plants. And this observation led me to the next conclusion, Yoon Seungho was a painter, but unlike his lover, he loved painting nature. This explains why the main lead painted a plant on the low-born’s body in chapter 36. And we have a clue that Yoon Seungho loves plants and animals, if we use the story from Alternative Universe: Remember how the cat caught the noble’s attention
and the latter used a plant to play with the animal.
But how come that he created an erotic painting, if according to my hypothesis, the main lead was preferring nature and animals? In my opinion, Jihwa was responsible for this. Since no one in his mansion paid attention to his whereabouts, he witnessed sodomy and that’s how he discovered his sexual orientation. Then one night, he led his childhood friend to the place where the couple was having sex and Jihwa begged his friend to paint for him what they had seen.
The drawing in the illustration for the first season was discovered by the father who destroyed it, because someone tattled on Yoon Seungho. Let’s not forget that in the Alternative Universe we have a lord peeping tom: 
Moreover, the painter’s sexuality resurfaces the moment he witnesses sex between Jihwa and Yoon Seungho, a new version of voyeurism. Why do I think that Jihwa was the one who led the innocent noble to become a voyeur? Note that in the Alternative Universe, the cat is the one leading Baek Na-Kyum to the cabin and even strokes the artist’s butt, while the latter is beholding the scene: 
So the main lead was not alone, when he saw the commoner having a fellatio. Besides, the manhwalovers should recall how Baek Na-Kyum saw two nobles having sex at the gisaeng house.
The aristocrats hid their sexual orientation behind the gisaengs. On the surface, they would behave like normal men, while in reality they loved another man. I doubt that Yoon Seungho could leave his mansion like that, especially if he was monitored by the staff and especially by his butler and his brother. From my point of view, Jihwa and his friend must have witnessed it at the pavilion. 
Note that the pavilion played a huge role in the first season: emancipation for Yoon Seungho in chapter 3 and the same for Baek Na-Kyum, as the latter was forced to admit that he loved his teacher in chapter 25. Furthermore, I would like to outline that each scene at the pavilion was linked to painting. After witnessing how two nobles made love, Jihwa begged his friend to paint for him (new version of chapter 8). Simultaneously, the red-haired friend decided to make some advances, as he had always felt attracted to him: That’s why Jihwa decided to visit him during the night, since no one noticed his absence from home. So while the innocent man, Yoon Seungho, was focused on the drawing requested by his friend, Jihwa said this: 
This interpretation would explain why Yoon Seungho couldn’t perceive Baek Na-Kyum’s preference and why Jihwa was an expert for recognizing virgins. However, during that night, the door opened and Jihwa, too scared to get caught, left his friend behind. What followed, you can imagine: Father Yoon believed to see in his son a homosexual due to the painting and punished him. He beat him and asked for some medication from the doctor. Since there was an erotic painting in his son’s room, the father went to father Lee and told him about the painting. However, father Yoon blamed his son for the incident. 
That’s how Jihwa was separated from his friend, yet the latter chose to remain silent and let Yoon Seungho suffer the consequences from his request. Then he must have heard from the staff that a teacher was hired for a conversion therapy. This would explain why Yoon Seungho relived his second abandonment during that night of revelations: first, the friend who ran away because he had been able to escape 
and later the rape with Kim at the door: 
Besides, the manhwaphiles will certainly recall how worried Baek Na-Kyum was in chapter 16 and 17, after leaving the lord’s bedchamber in a hurry. He couldn’t eat and kept wondering if someone had seen him or not, a new version of what the red-haired noble had experienced. In my opinion, there were two incidents occurring with the painting:
- The first one was Yoon Seung-Won who gave a painting to his father, so that his admired brother would lose all his credibility by his father… and I believe that Kim played a role in it, as he could be the one who gave the painting (chapter 37) to the younger master. This led to the straw mat beating. The scholar Jung In-Hun told his future sponsor this:
We have to envision that the powerful main lead experienced a similar incident. - The incident with the door: my idea is that his father was tipped off by Kim so that the latter wouldn’t be blamed for this. Remember what I wrote once: in chapter 16, Kim was the one who opened the door, yet he had been manipulated by the vicious and envious Deok-Jae.
I have to admit that I have no idea about the identity of the persons involved in the love session at the pavilion. One thing is sure: One of the fathers was caught making love to another man. And now, you can comprehend why I got more and more convinced that Yoon Seungho was a painter.
I sense that Jihwa’s spirit and love for nature inspired Yoon Seungho in his drawings. Note that the windscreens in Jihwa and Yoon Seungho’s chamber have a pattern containing trees and plants. 
I believe, Yoon Seungho could sense free spirit in his childhood friend, reminding him of nature and freedom. That’s why I believe that the cat in Alternative Universe represents Jihwa. First, we have the presence of red . Moreover, Jihwa is represented by an animal in the original story, the monkey. Furthermore, the behavior of Baek Na-Kyum in Alternative Universe reminds us of a cat’s…
Furthermore, like my reader @Peperon21428670 pointed out, I had already associated the painter to nature. This explicates why Yoon Seungho chose to paint a plant on the artist’s body that night. He sensed the connection between nature and the artist. And since Jihwa and Baek Na-Kyum are similar, then the cat embodying free spirit and longing for affection can only represent the second lead. This would stand in opposition to Yoon Seungho’s mansion, which the eldest son felt like a cage and prison. This explicates why Yoon Seungho was painting nature and liked his childhood friend so much. He embodied everything what the main lead couldn’t have. Furthermore, with this new approach, it would confirm that there were two people watching the nobles making love at the pavilion, as Baek Na-Kyum peeped at Yoon Seungho with the cat by his side. With this new interpretation, the manhwalovers can better grasp why Jihwa was waiting for Yoon Seungho’s love, as he hoped that he would see the same gaze than in the past. However, from my point of view, Yoon Seungho could never feel like before due to the abandonment he experienced, when Jihwa left him. Furthermore, since Yoon Seungho’s passion for painting was killed by the coercive persuasion and sexual assaults, he could never gaze at his childhood friend the same way. This would explicate why Jihwa is so convinced that he knows Yoon Seungho’s true past
(chapter 57), whereas he is only aware of the peak of the iceberg.
So if Yoon Seungho was a painter forced to vow to never paint, it becomes understandable why Baek Na-Kyum’s paintings affected the main lead so much. They healed his eyes which had been ruined by his traumatic experiences. (chapter 57) His keen eyes were revived and the light in them returned. 
Slowly the lord rediscovered his love for arts and paintings… inciting him to draw again.
Arts therapy is nowadays used as a method to heal people suffering from mental illnesses due to huge traumas. That’s why Yoon Seungho could only fall in love with the painter’s work. They were kindred spirits, and when the lord saw the painter for the first time, he fell in love at first sight, unaware of his emotions. Just like in the first special episode… Yoon Seungho’s face inspired the noble so much that he drew a threesome.
Therefore, with this new perception, the manhwaworms comprehend why Yoon Seungho wanted to scratch Jihwa’s face in the chapter 67.
Since in the past his face was a source of inspiration, the symbol for innocence, youth, freedom, carefree, naturality, honesty, happiness for the painter Yoon Seungho, the latter can only associate his face to dishonesty, deception, pain and suffering now. Although Jihwa didn’t get scolded or caught with his lie, he felt guilty, but he never felt the courage to correct the truth. That’s how Jihwa started behaving like a coward and playing tricks. With this incident, he learnt a terrible lesson: he learnt how someone else could take responsibility for his actions and decisions. Since it was never revealed, the young aristocrat faked his smile and cheerfulness due to his guilt. However, with the separation from his friend, he got lost and found himself a new “friend”: The Joker who perverted his innocence and naturality in the end. That’s why when they reunited, Yoon Seungho sensed the transformation in his childhood friend. And once Jihwa discovered that his friend was interested again in painting, he looked for pictures hoping to catch Yoon Seungho’s interest. However, he was rather bored, 
when he looked at the picture (chapter 9). Then in chapter 12, he proposed to hire a painter from the Royal Academy 
, because he knew how much his friend liked painting. Yet he couldn’t encourage him to paint himself, for he would have been confronted with the past. The red-haired aristocrat thought, he could manage to get rid of the artist without reminding Yoon Seungho of the incident with the door. And if my theory is correct, this scene implies that the noble never apologized for his friend’s suffering.
Now, the noble is able to perceive his friend’s corrupted nature, hence he describes his friend’s face as vile. (chapter 67) The face is no longer a source of inspiration, rather of suffocation, and this picture contrasts so much to the main lead’s reaction, when he looked at the artist’s face in the following drawing.
(chapter 25) He noticed the absence of facial expressions. Therefore he recommended him to use a mirror (chapter 28). As you can see, the muse’s face and facial expressions are very important for the powerful aristocrat. I believe that at some point, he will destroy the painting made with Jihwa 
so that there are no picture left with him, a new version of chapter 2. For me, the chapter 67 marks the beginning of Baek Na-Kyum’s influence as the lord’s muse. With him, he is learning what love and courage are and he will inspire the master to paint again. Finally, he will be able to discern between fake and genuine affection and concern leading Kim to lose his master’s trust.
And now it is important to remember the painting sent to father Yoon: Imagine how he must have felt. He tried so desperately to stop his son from being linked to arts and painting, and here he receives an erotic painting. He can only be reminded of the past incident. At the same time, he is also criticized for his hypocrisy. He forced his son to prostitution for his own goal, but acted as if he was proper and righteous. No wonder that he was so enraged and could barely contain his fury. He was confronted with his lies and wrongdoings, one could say that he was finally seeing his failure as father. Because of this new approach, I come to the conclusion that Kim was the one sending the painting, hoping that the eldest master would intervene, as he prefers father Yoon to his actual master who is always linked to scandal and uproar, which contrasts to Kim’s philosophy. The butler hoped for an intervention, but since father Yoon hates himself to be connected to sodomy and would like to keep his reputation intact, he chose not to intervene.
With this new theory, I believe that Baek Na-Kyum will become the lord’s muse, just like the main lead will become Baek Na-Kyum’s source of inspiration. At the same time, I imagine that Yoon Seungho becomes the painter’s teacher as well, in the sense that the aristocrat teaches him how to paint other topics: nature for example.
So the painter of the night is not only referring to Baek Na-Kyum, but also to Yoon Seungho. That’s why Byeonduck chose this illustration for the first season: the past and the present are visible in this panel.
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Protected: Painter Of The Night: The power of … (second version)
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Family (third version)
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 