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야화첩 [Yahwacheop] #2
야화첩 2
선비 인헌의 입신양명을 두고 승호는 나겸에게 회유와 협박을 건넨다. 나겸은 마지못해 다시 붓을 들지만, 그것이 지화의 질투에 불을 지피고 마는데….
268 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2020
46 people are currently reading
749 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
July 4, 2023
The girls that get it, get it
December 3, 2022
This is *really* well drawn porn with plot... 5 stars.
October 6, 2022
Note - this is the same review I posted for episode 1, 2, & 3 as I’ve completed all releases episodes.
This is a webtoon that might sweep you off your feet, but it’s not a happy story. It’s full of rape, manipulation, mental illness, and violence. Other than the main character, Baek Na-Kyum, and a handful of supporting characters, few people in this series are decent or moral. Still, the art is gorgeous and the story compelling. I was completely immersed in its world for four days straight. I can’t wait for the next “season,” due any time now (it was originally scheduled to debut August 27th, 2021).
Note: I’m grateful that one of my undergraduates pointed out that Lezhin, the publishing company licensing the English version of the webtoon, reportedly is a scumbag corporation that takes advantage of, and sometimes doesn’t pay, its artists. It also reportedly charges draconian late fees if an artist isn’t on time submitting artwork. On the other hand, Byeonduck has filmed an interview for Lezhin and seems happy to work with them - but who knows what’s really happening. To avoid supporting a potentially repressive corporation, I bought a Japanese translation through CDJapan, hoping it wasn’t connected to Lezhin and hoping that the artist has a good deal with her Japanese distributors. There are a few illegal translation sites where people can read works such as this in English, but find someway of supporting the artist (which I’m hoping my CDJapan purchase does).
The story takes place in the Joseon dynastic kingdom in Korea, sometime during China’s Qing dynasty (1644-1912), as one character references the Opium trade, which flourished throughout this period. That’s a pretty broad stretch of time, but I haven’t found any other context clues to narrow it further.
While on the topic of history, I’d like to briefly mention a problem with Lezhin’s use of the words ‘sodomy’ and ‘sodomites’ in its translation. Granted, the author, Byeonduck, may have meant to use the Christian ‘sodomy’ libel in her work. But, historically in Korea, ‘sodomy,’ and, therefore, the Christian connotations that come with it, would not have been used. While modern Koreans are, in general, backwards in thinking of homosexuality as a disease, in Ancient Korea it was acknowledged as a common practice without negative moral connotations until the Choson dynasty, when it was considered wicked by the upper-middle classes. Nevertheless, homosexual practices were reportedly common across socioeconomic strata. Rather than ‘sodomy,’ Lezhin could have translated any number of period and culture appropriate terms for use in this webtoon/book.
So, what is Painter in the Night about?
Baek Na-Kyum is a naïve teenager with a keen haptic ability to paint what he remembers and feels. What he wants most in life is to love someone he can believe in, and to be loved with whatever amount of affection an illiterate peasant boy can find. These simple, honest desires put him at the mercy of older, more powerful men who want to use his talent and his body, and who want to break his emotionally forthright spirit.
Seung-Ho is a young, wealthy aristocrat who has made Na-Kyum work as his personal painter, specifically to paint scenes of his frequent orgies with other aristocratic men. But he soon can’t take his eyes off the beautiful Na-Kyum, and grows increasingly possessive of him. Unbalanced and psychologically unstable, Seung-Ho takes his anger out on his servants for not properly caring for Na-Kyum. He also stops hosting his regular orgies, which leaves Jihwa and Min, two local young lords, looking for revenge. It’s at this point that the threats and subterfuge surrounding Na-Kyum multiply, but, having no experience outside of his simple upbringing, he’s unable to understand what’s happening around him.
There’s a bit too much of the female revenge fantasy in this webtoon, where a young man, instead of a young woman (which is usually the case), is placed at the mercy of older, stronger, sadistic men. We see so many close-ups of Na-Kyum crying that it’s a wonder he doesn’t become dehydrated half way through the series. His boyishly feminine looks, that slightly girlish blush on the cheeks of boys just before they grow into men, is played for all it’s worth and more. In many panels, Na-Kyum looks like a girl with a shaggy bob hairstyle, though he’s clearly a boy in others.
It could all be chalked up to the tired - if at times true - contention that the uke is portrayed in a feminine way in order for female BL readers to “identify” or “project” themselves into the male uke. Never mind that empirical data from the last decade or so shows that, more typically, women identify with both the seme and uke in such stories, depending on their mood as readers or what the author does with the plot or the character’s development. According to Nagakubo Yoko’s 2005 quantitative analysis of BL themes, its more about “playing with gender” than identifying with the uke.
Yet Na-Kyum comes off as a believable character because, really, what teen wouldn’t be scared out of his wits when faced with the sociopathic lust of a rich, strong, and politically powerful aristocrat like Seung-Ho? What teen, boy or girl, wouldn’t do anything for their beloved role model, educator Jung In-Hun, to care for them, to save them? Unfortunately, in reality, Jung In-Hun is an egotistical, morally bankrupt piece of s**t, but how is a poor boy from the country to know? More than one young person has been fooled by the pompous posing of an educated pig.
Is not just the sexual violence, but also men debasing themselves that’s part of the revenge fantasy aspect of BL. Men acting like stereotypically hysterical women, throwing the canard that women are emotionally unstable and sexually desperate back onto men, is a trope that’s on full display in Painter of the Night. In a nutshell: Seung-Ho’s huge penis and charismatic, if unstable, masculinity drive the young men in other noble families to distraction. All the young male aristocrats want a piece of Seung-Ho’s dick. Here we find another, centuries old myth: the more wealthy and civilized a group becomes, the less masculine and more feminine it is (see, for example, internationally acclaimed scholar Nell Irvin Painter, whose book, “The History of White People,” traces this and other myths). At least half the young, aristocratic males fall into this category. There’s Min, the jaded “bitch” figure who get’s off on other’s misfortune, and Jihwa, the jilted, crazed mistress figure. The more jealous Jihwa gets, the more he loses his masculinity and becomes a feminine harpy, an attribute emphasized in scenes with the mysterious, square-jawed, and hyper-masculine assassin. That the assassin is astoundingly beautiful brings to mind Ralph Waldo Emerson’s fevered, nearly homoerotic imaginings of the ultra-masculine, transcendently beautiful, and totally mythical Anglo-Saxon warrior. True masculine beauty lies in those who are closest to barbarism, so goes the thinking, and a brooding hunk of an assassin falls into this category. But it’s not just beauty that we find in barbaric peoples, but honor and morality, to; the “barbaric” assassin is too noble to be hypocritical, proving himself more honest and ethically upright, in his own way, than the morally dissolute, if “civilized,” Jihwa.
Meanwhile, the heteronormative common folk, the rugged, if plain, males, who wear their everyday masculinity like they breathe the air, and the working women, proper folk who know their gender role, shake their heads at the overwrought, gender-confused feminine behavior of their social superiors.
Not that anything is ever so clear-cut. The upside to the revenge fantasy motif is that it creates mental and imaginative space for reimagining gender and societal relationships. This is a huge benefit of BL. It’s just that, in Painter of the Night, this motif is unrelenting and even a bit over the top.
Even so, and despite the fact that I am attracted to effeminate men (well, used to be, before I got married), I find the tendency to over-do the feminization of boys and men a bit tiring. This is more a critique of the genre, but, still, in this BL Na-Kyum is frequently likened to a bride or fiancée. One scene has a group of commoners talking about the “womanly wiles” that Lord Yoon Seung-Ho’s “fiancé” must have used to lure him away from men, not realizing this fiancé is a boy and so solidifying the feminization of Na-Kyum in a not-so-subtle block of concrete. Painter in the Night also builds on the myth of the erogenous male prostrate, as if it is some miraculous organ that makes men orgasm repeatedly (like women) or sends them to sexual nirvana. I’m a guy - it isn’t and it doesn’t, and although I’m a life-long top with decades of experience, I’ve certainly bottomed enough times and explored other men’s anatomy to know (for my husband of 20 years, prostrate play is a yawn fest). But despite the abuse Na-Kyum suffers, somehow this secret, mythical feminizing prostrate makes the abuse all better when touching it causes him to ejaculate. (Na-Kyum is also pictured with his anus “getting wet” for Seung-Ho. Subtle).
Worse, in the second season, after a sexual assault that leaves Na-Kyum in a near coma from the first season, Seung-Ho assaults him even more violently by re-enacting the “she said no but meant yes and wanted me to bang her senseless” defense of so many violent, sociopathic men. But this time the victim is a boy in the Joseon era with no hope of rescue or safety. The author and much of her audience seem to take delight in these re-enactments. Yes, sex often has a component of violence, but with your partner it is a controlled “violence” and keyed to their satisfaction and needs.
Reading this webtoon, with all of these issues, I’m waiting for the hero to break down the door and save the day. But, in this series, I’m not sure there is a hero - just villains and victims. Maybe it’s because it doesn’t follow the “lover as savior” trope that it is so fascinating. Well, that and Byeonduck is a gifted illustrator and excellent storyteller.
Still, I keep reading because I cling to a Pollyanna belief that there is justice in the universe. But the universe is a morally vacant space. Any moral arc we perceive is a structure of our own making, and more often than not injustice thrives like kudzu. But, again, I keep reading.
So, it says something that, despite the openly prurient themes, Painter in the Night goes beyond the raw sex, violence, and revenge fantasies, to make us feel intensely about these characters. Despite any of the criticisms above, it’s a great webtoon that totally captivated me for several days straight.
Byeonduck’s gorgeous illustrations sometimes have the low-fi feel of 1950’s color illustrations, where darks and lights weren’t achieved through the use of color (as with the Impressionists, who used deep blues, reds and purples for shadows), but rather by adding black. This isn’t a criticism, because the effect is perfect for the story. At the same time, if you read it online where you can zoom in, you’ll see that texture plays a key role in how our eyes respond to the artwork. I believe at least some of the images in the first season were first painted on textured watercolor paper (even though a Lezhin interview with her shows her working exclusively on a Cintiq Pro tablet). (The webtoon is divided into seasons rather than “volumes”). You’ll see the texture by zooming in. This effect can be added digitally, but there’s an almost too feint grid on a number of early panels that has clearly been painted over with real, not digital, paint - the paint gathers in places on the pencil lines that didn’t receive enough pressure to leave a uniform deposit of graphite. On other panels, you barely register the watercolor paper’s texture, but it’s there. The cumulative affect is that the subtle variations of color that come from the pigment pooling in the troughs of the textured paper give the art a lush atmosphere throughout. However, by season 2 these grid lines disappear and the texture seems to be added digitally - but the lush quality of the color remains.
Be that as it may, in season 1 it’s clear the artist scanned some art and then added digital drawing on top - closeups of eyes, for instance, or sun spots in a blue sky, give a totally different color feel than traditional media, a uniformity and density that you only get from digital media).
Typically, the chroma (i. e., the color saturation or intensity) is dialed down in 95% of any given panel’s surface area, but is then dialed up in the remaining areas, say, with a slightly more intense red on the cheeks as a character blushes. (It’s also in the close-ups of faces that the artist moves away from tonal color and allows herself a broader spectrum to convey skin tone). The end result is a feeling of overall intensity because of the contrast between large areas of low saturation with the smaller areas of greater saturation that call out to the viewer’s eye. The artist, similarly, takes advantage of complimentary contrast: large surface areas feature low-saturation colors that are enlivened by the careful placement of complimentary colors in smaller areas (e.g. the vibrant blue and orange resonance of colored squares on a blanket). (Ironically, because the artist is banned from depicting genitalia, she leaves penises and testicles white. This has the effect of intensifying the sexual organs more than simply illustrating them would. Against the beautiful colors used for flesh and backgrounds, these “erased” penises glow with the seething intensity of a white hot flame).
Night scenes are especially well handled. They brought to mind the skill with which Rockwell Kent painted winter scenes at night, where the brilliant white snow becomes a muted purple-gray, but still seems brilliant when placed against the charcoal grays and midnight blues seen on a nighttime walk. (The Met in New York and the Cleveland Museum of Art have excellent examples of Kent’s skill in using color for dusk and night scenes; I can’t recommend most of his work, especially his figurative pieces, but the guy knew how to use color). Likewise, Byeonduck’s scenes capture what nighttime looks and feels like in a way no camera can match. The same is true for early morning or foggy day scenes. For instance, I can feel the moist, foggy countryside through the diaphanous muting of greens and browns by a subtle, ghostly wash of silvery white over parts of the landscape.
Byeonduck is skilled in depicting body language and the natural flow of bodies in space. Once in a blue moon you might see a mannequin-like figure in this series, but the fears, desires, anxieties, shock, and physical pain we feel in each body comes directly from Byeonduck’s mastery of drawing figures that have a full range of emotional expression. 99% of the time, even background figures are shown in natural, evocative poses.
Byeonduck’s skill includes drawing the borderline-psychotic expressions that wash over Seung-Ho’s face like a wave of carpet bombs. His wide-eyed stare, a piercing gaze thrown from his head being tilted away and at an angle from the object of derision, seem to hint at the onset of madness. His blood-red irises and pin-head pupils float in the sclera’s center, touching neither the top nor bottom lid, promising either violence or, worse, a twisted deviousness that will tear someone’s life apart from the inside out. Perhaps worse is the quiet, cold, calculating stare as he weighs the best way to manipulate or undermine someone. Against this behavioral backdrop, it’s all the more remarkable when his gestures become protective and tender towards Na-Kyum. Of course, any tenderness offered by a narcissistic manipulator has a short expiration date.
I’ve talked about Na-Kyum, but what else can be said about Seung-Ho? He is a man fascinated with dominating others, and this means socially, physically, politically and sexually. His is the stereotypical male gaze taken to the extreme: he wants to watch and cherish every second of his domination, and the signifiers of his domination are pain and discomfort.
Added to his social and legal status as a noble, is his muscular body and long, thick endowment. It’s not enough for him to force submission simply because of his social standing, he wants other men to submit through the pain and desire he creates with his dick. His expressions bespeak a creature who wants to hold on to every twist, cry, and jolt of pain he creates by being inside another man. His ego swells when he hurts people and they come back for more. He is captivated with the entire process and eliminates any threat to his solipsistic pleasures.
But then he meets Na-Kyum. When his behavioral patterns begin to break down in the face of Na-Kyum’s youthful earnestness and tenacity, he doubles down. Na-Kyum, foolishly loyal to the treacherous Jung In-Hun, doubles down, too, and tries to escape more than once. Through it all, Seung-Ho unleashes himself on and in Na-Kyum’s body, but, in the exertion it takes to bring Na-Kyum to heel, discovers affection for the young man.
I won’t spoil the ending of season 2. But I will say both seasons together form a deeply satisfying, if troubling, storyline that has the tragic sense of an 18th century novel, but one which ultimately has an “overcoming all obstacles” aesthetic to please 21st century readers.
Triggers: Rape, emotional and physical abuse, manipulation, violence
This is a webtoon that might sweep you off your feet, but it’s not a happy story. It’s full of rape, manipulation, mental illness, and violence. Other than the main character, Baek Na-Kyum, and a handful of supporting characters, few people in this series are decent or moral. Still, the art is gorgeous and the story compelling. I was completely immersed in its world for four days straight. I can’t wait for the next “season,” due any time now (it was originally scheduled to debut August 27th, 2021).
Note: I’m grateful that one of my undergraduates pointed out that Lezhin, the publishing company licensing the English version of the webtoon, reportedly is a scumbag corporation that takes advantage of, and sometimes doesn’t pay, its artists. It also reportedly charges draconian late fees if an artist isn’t on time submitting artwork. On the other hand, Byeonduck has filmed an interview for Lezhin and seems happy to work with them - but who knows what’s really happening. To avoid supporting a potentially repressive corporation, I bought a Japanese translation through CDJapan, hoping it wasn’t connected to Lezhin and hoping that the artist has a good deal with her Japanese distributors. There are a few illegal translation sites where people can read works such as this in English, but find someway of supporting the artist (which I’m hoping my CDJapan purchase does).
The story takes place in the Joseon dynastic kingdom in Korea, sometime during China’s Qing dynasty (1644-1912), as one character references the Opium trade, which flourished throughout this period. That’s a pretty broad stretch of time, but I haven’t found any other context clues to narrow it further.
While on the topic of history, I’d like to briefly mention a problem with Lezhin’s use of the words ‘sodomy’ and ‘sodomites’ in its translation. Granted, the author, Byeonduck, may have meant to use the Christian ‘sodomy’ libel in her work. But, historically in Korea, ‘sodomy,’ and, therefore, the Christian connotations that come with it, would not have been used. While modern Koreans are, in general, backwards in thinking of homosexuality as a disease, in Ancient Korea it was acknowledged as a common practice without negative moral connotations until the Choson dynasty, when it was considered wicked by the upper-middle classes. Nevertheless, homosexual practices were reportedly common across socioeconomic strata. Rather than ‘sodomy,’ Lezhin could have translated any number of period and culture appropriate terms for use in this webtoon/book.
So, what is Painter in the Night about?
Baek Na-Kyum is a naïve teenager with a keen haptic ability to paint what he remembers and feels. What he wants most in life is to love someone he can believe in, and to be loved with whatever amount of affection an illiterate peasant boy can find. These simple, honest desires put him at the mercy of older, more powerful men who want to use his talent and his body, and who want to break his emotionally forthright spirit.
Seung-Ho is a young, wealthy aristocrat who has made Na-Kyum work as his personal painter, specifically to paint scenes of his frequent orgies with other aristocratic men. But he soon can’t take his eyes off the beautiful Na-Kyum, and grows increasingly possessive of him. Unbalanced and psychologically unstable, Seung-Ho takes his anger out on his servants for not properly caring for Na-Kyum. He also stops hosting his regular orgies, which leaves Jihwa and Min, two local young lords, looking for revenge. It’s at this point that the threats and subterfuge surrounding Na-Kyum multiply, but, having no experience outside of his simple upbringing, he’s unable to understand what’s happening around him.
There’s a bit too much of the female revenge fantasy in this webtoon, where a young man, instead of a young woman (which is usually the case), is placed at the mercy of older, stronger, sadistic men. We see so many close-ups of Na-Kyum crying that it’s a wonder he doesn’t become dehydrated half way through the series. His boyishly feminine looks, that slightly girlish blush on the cheeks of boys just before they grow into men, is played for all it’s worth and more. In many panels, Na-Kyum looks like a girl with a shaggy bob hairstyle, though he’s clearly a boy in others.
It could all be chalked up to the tired - if at times true - contention that the uke is portrayed in a feminine way in order for female BL readers to “identify” or “project” themselves into the male uke. Never mind that empirical data from the last decade or so shows that, more typically, women identify with both the seme and uke in such stories, depending on their mood as readers or what the author does with the plot or the character’s development. According to Nagakubo Yoko’s 2005 quantitative analysis of BL themes, its more about “playing with gender” than identifying with the uke.
Yet Na-Kyum comes off as a believable character because, really, what teen wouldn’t be scared out of his wits when faced with the sociopathic lust of a rich, strong, and politically powerful aristocrat like Seung-Ho? What teen, boy or girl, wouldn’t do anything for their beloved role model, educator Jung In-Hun, to care for them, to save them? Unfortunately, in reality, Jung In-Hun is an egotistical, morally bankrupt piece of s**t, but how is a poor boy from the country to know? More than one young person has been fooled by the pompous posing of an educated pig.
Is not just the sexual violence, but also men debasing themselves that’s part of the revenge fantasy aspect of BL. Men acting like stereotypically hysterical women, throwing the canard that women are emotionally unstable and sexually desperate back onto men, is a trope that’s on full display in Painter of the Night. In a nutshell: Seung-Ho’s huge penis and charismatic, if unstable, masculinity drive the young men in other noble families to distraction. All the young male aristocrats want a piece of Seung-Ho’s dick. Here we find another, centuries old myth: the more wealthy and civilized a group becomes, the less masculine and more feminine it is (see, for example, internationally acclaimed scholar Nell Irvin Painter, whose book, “The History of White People,” traces this and other myths). At least half the young, aristocratic males fall into this category. There’s Min, the jaded “bitch” figure who get’s off on other’s misfortune, and Jihwa, the jilted, crazed mistress figure. The more jealous Jihwa gets, the more he loses his masculinity and becomes a feminine harpy, an attribute emphasized in scenes with the mysterious, square-jawed, and hyper-masculine assassin. That the assassin is astoundingly beautiful brings to mind Ralph Waldo Emerson’s fevered, nearly homoerotic imaginings of the ultra-masculine, transcendently beautiful, and totally mythical Anglo-Saxon warrior. True masculine beauty lies in those who are closest to barbarism, so goes the thinking, and a brooding hunk of an assassin falls into this category. But it’s not just beauty that we find in barbaric peoples, but honor and morality, to; the “barbaric” assassin is too noble to be hypocritical, proving himself more honest and ethically upright, in his own way, than the morally dissolute, if “civilized,” Jihwa.
Meanwhile, the heteronormative common folk, the rugged, if plain, males, who wear their everyday masculinity like they breathe the air, and the working women, proper folk who know their gender role, shake their heads at the overwrought, gender-confused feminine behavior of their social superiors.
Not that anything is ever so clear-cut. The upside to the revenge fantasy motif is that it creates mental and imaginative space for reimagining gender and societal relationships. This is a huge benefit of BL. It’s just that, in Painter of the Night, this motif is unrelenting and even a bit over the top.
Even so, and despite the fact that I am attracted to effeminate men (well, used to be, before I got married), I find the tendency to over-do the feminization of boys and men a bit tiring. This is more a critique of the genre, but, still, in this BL Na-Kyum is frequently likened to a bride or fiancée. One scene has a group of commoners talking about the “womanly wiles” that Lord Yoon Seung-Ho’s “fiancé” must have used to lure him away from men, not realizing this fiancé is a boy and so solidifying the feminization of Na-Kyum in a not-so-subtle block of concrete. Painter in the Night also builds on the myth of the erogenous male prostrate, as if it is some miraculous organ that makes men orgasm repeatedly (like women) or sends them to sexual nirvana. I’m a guy - it isn’t and it doesn’t, and although I’m a life-long top with decades of experience, I’ve certainly bottomed enough times and explored other men’s anatomy to know (for my husband of 20 years, prostrate play is a yawn fest). But despite the abuse Na-Kyum suffers, somehow this secret, mythical feminizing prostrate makes the abuse all better when touching it causes him to ejaculate. (Na-Kyum is also pictured with his anus “getting wet” for Seung-Ho. Subtle).
Worse, in the second season, after a sexual assault that leaves Na-Kyum in a near coma from the first season, Seung-Ho assaults him even more violently by re-enacting the “she said no but meant yes and wanted me to bang her senseless” defense of so many violent, sociopathic men. But this time the victim is a boy in the Joseon era with no hope of rescue or safety. The author and much of her audience seem to take delight in these re-enactments. Yes, sex often has a component of violence, but with your partner it is a controlled “violence” and keyed to their satisfaction and needs.
Reading this webtoon, with all of these issues, I’m waiting for the hero to break down the door and save the day. But, in this series, I’m not sure there is a hero - just villains and victims. Maybe it’s because it doesn’t follow the “lover as savior” trope that it is so fascinating. Well, that and Byeonduck is a gifted illustrator and excellent storyteller.
Still, I keep reading because I cling to a Pollyanna belief that there is justice in the universe. But the universe is a morally vacant space. Any moral arc we perceive is a structure of our own making, and more often than not injustice thrives like kudzu. But, again, I keep reading.
So, it says something that, despite the openly prurient themes, Painter in the Night goes beyond the raw sex, violence, and revenge fantasies, to make us feel intensely about these characters. Despite any of the criticisms above, it’s a great webtoon that totally captivated me for several days straight.
Byeonduck’s gorgeous illustrations sometimes have the low-fi feel of 1950’s color illustrations, where darks and lights weren’t achieved through the use of color (as with the Impressionists, who used deep blues, reds and purples for shadows), but rather by adding black. This isn’t a criticism, because the effect is perfect for the story. At the same time, if you read it online where you can zoom in, you’ll see that texture plays a key role in how our eyes respond to the artwork. I believe at least some of the images in the first season were first painted on textured watercolor paper (even though a Lezhin interview with her shows her working exclusively on a Cintiq Pro tablet). (The webtoon is divided into seasons rather than “volumes”). You’ll see the texture by zooming in. This effect can be added digitally, but there’s an almost too feint grid on a number of early panels that has clearly been painted over with real, not digital, paint - the paint gathers in places on the pencil lines that didn’t receive enough pressure to leave a uniform deposit of graphite. On other panels, you barely register the watercolor paper’s texture, but it’s there. The cumulative affect is that the subtle variations of color that come from the pigment pooling in the troughs of the textured paper give the art a lush atmosphere throughout. However, by season 2 these grid lines disappear and the texture seems to be added digitally - but the lush quality of the color remains.
Be that as it may, in season 1 it’s clear the artist scanned some art and then added digital drawing on top - closeups of eyes, for instance, or sun spots in a blue sky, give a totally different color feel than traditional media, a uniformity and density that you only get from digital media).
Typically, the chroma (i. e., the color saturation or intensity) is dialed down in 95% of any given panel’s surface area, but is then dialed up in the remaining areas, say, with a slightly more intense red on the cheeks as a character blushes. (It’s also in the close-ups of faces that the artist moves away from tonal color and allows herself a broader spectrum to convey skin tone). The end result is a feeling of overall intensity because of the contrast between large areas of low saturation with the smaller areas of greater saturation that call out to the viewer’s eye. The artist, similarly, takes advantage of complimentary contrast: large surface areas feature low-saturation colors that are enlivened by the careful placement of complimentary colors in smaller areas (e.g. the vibrant blue and orange resonance of colored squares on a blanket). (Ironically, because the artist is banned from depicting genitalia, she leaves penises and testicles white. This has the effect of intensifying the sexual organs more than simply illustrating them would. Against the beautiful colors used for flesh and backgrounds, these “erased” penises glow with the seething intensity of a white hot flame).
Night scenes are especially well handled. They brought to mind the skill with which Rockwell Kent painted winter scenes at night, where the brilliant white snow becomes a muted purple-gray, but still seems brilliant when placed against the charcoal grays and midnight blues seen on a nighttime walk. (The Met in New York and the Cleveland Museum of Art have excellent examples of Kent’s skill in using color for dusk and night scenes; I can’t recommend most of his work, especially his figurative pieces, but the guy knew how to use color). Likewise, Byeonduck’s scenes capture what nighttime looks and feels like in a way no camera can match. The same is true for early morning or foggy day scenes. For instance, I can feel the moist, foggy countryside through the diaphanous muting of greens and browns by a subtle, ghostly wash of silvery white over parts of the landscape.
Byeonduck is skilled in depicting body language and the natural flow of bodies in space. Once in a blue moon you might see a mannequin-like figure in this series, but the fears, desires, anxieties, shock, and physical pain we feel in each body comes directly from Byeonduck’s mastery of drawing figures that have a full range of emotional expression. 99% of the time, even background figures are shown in natural, evocative poses.
Byeonduck’s skill includes drawing the borderline-psychotic expressions that wash over Seung-Ho’s face like a wave of carpet bombs. His wide-eyed stare, a piercing gaze thrown from his head being tilted away and at an angle from the object of derision, seem to hint at the onset of madness. His blood-red irises and pin-head pupils float in the sclera’s center, touching neither the top nor bottom lid, promising either violence or, worse, a twisted deviousness that will tear someone’s life apart from the inside out. Perhaps worse is the quiet, cold, calculating stare as he weighs the best way to manipulate or undermine someone. Against this behavioral backdrop, it’s all the more remarkable when his gestures become protective and tender towards Na-Kyum. Of course, any tenderness offered by a narcissistic manipulator has a short expiration date.
I’ve talked about Na-Kyum, but what else can be said about Seung-Ho? He is a man fascinated with dominating others, and this means socially, physically, politically and sexually. His is the stereotypical male gaze taken to the extreme: he wants to watch and cherish every second of his domination, and the signifiers of his domination are pain and discomfort.
Added to his social and legal status as a noble, is his muscular body and long, thick endowment. It’s not enough for him to force submission simply because of his social standing, he wants other men to submit through the pain and desire he creates with his dick. His expressions bespeak a creature who wants to hold on to every twist, cry, and jolt of pain he creates by being inside another man. His ego swells when he hurts people and they come back for more. He is captivated with the entire process and eliminates any threat to his solipsistic pleasures.
But then he meets Na-Kyum. When his behavioral patterns begin to break down in the face of Na-Kyum’s youthful earnestness and tenacity, he doubles down. Na-Kyum, foolishly loyal to the treacherous Jung In-Hun, doubles down, too, and tries to escape more than once. Through it all, Seung-Ho unleashes himself on and in Na-Kyum’s body, but, in the exertion it takes to bring Na-Kyum to heel, discovers affection for the young man.
I won’t spoil the ending of season 2. But I will say both seasons together form a deeply satisfying, if troubling, storyline that has the tragic sense of an 18th century novel, but one which ultimately has an “overcoming all obstacles” aesthetic to please 21st century readers.
Triggers: Rape, emotional and physical abuse, manipulation, violence
January 13, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up
This turned out well. Following those two realising that they have developed feelings for each other was great fun. I haven’t forgotten how Yoon Seungho treated Baek Nakyum in the first volume and yet the inkling I’ve had about a past that messed Yoon Seungho up big time seems to be true. I’m curious to find out more about that. I also loved how creepy Nameless guy was and that Lee Jihwa couldn’t go through with his plan. He’s a spoiled brat but so in unrequited love. Poor soul. Master Min instead is a cunning asshole and will probably become a huge problem.
The sex, well it wasn’t porn any longer, is turning to love making, but there are three more volumes and I guess we’re not there yet. The art work was once again a feast for the eyes and especially Yoon Seungho’s shoulders and face are still to die for. I’m definitely hooked now.
This turned out well. Following those two realising that they have developed feelings for each other was great fun. I haven’t forgotten how Yoon Seungho treated Baek Nakyum in the first volume and yet the inkling I’ve had about a past that messed Yoon Seungho up big time seems to be true. I’m curious to find out more about that. I also loved how creepy Nameless guy was and that Lee Jihwa couldn’t go through with his plan. He’s a spoiled brat but so in unrequited love. Poor soul. Master Min instead is a cunning asshole and will probably become a huge problem.
The sex, well it wasn’t porn any longer, is turning to love making, but there are three more volumes and I guess we’re not there yet. The art work was once again a feast for the eyes and especially Yoon Seungho’s shoulders and face are still to die for. I’m definitely hooked now.
April 24, 2022
See my review for volume 1.
December 8, 2024
This is a pretty hard pill to swallow but gripping at the same rate. This webtoon oozes with manipulative behavior and that of someone who jumps at the opportunity to use anyone for their own personal advantage. The complexity deepening at every turn, the ability to make decisions even more difficult to understand, all the while still containing the versatility of that obnoxious fuckface Seungho Yoon. Damn this webtoon to hell! I love this sick story but I’ve cried enough dammit! This bastard needs to DIE for his crimes. I said what I said.
June 28, 2024
3.5/5⭐
Mucho mejor que la primer temporada :))
Mucho mejor que la primer temporada :))
March 30, 2026
idk i’m kinda bored but i can’t stop reading. i’m still waiting on the crazy romance that so many people are hyping up 😑
November 9, 2021
I know it's kinda problematic, but–
Also the art 10000/10
Also the art 10000/10
August 24, 2025
Praticamente un dark romance BL storico con un villain che non si può non amare?? Un p*rn* con trama COSA VOGLIAMO DI PIÙ???
March 16, 2026
The beautiful art style depicting lewd acts and manipulations. The juxtaposition is stark.
I have nothing to say except I am HOOKED. Not sure if I'll be buying the future volumes, but this is definitely on my to binge in the future.
Recap/highlights: confronted by the jealous dude, protected by the lord, chastised by teacher, gets drunk, loses virginity and forgets the night, hunting trip, reminded to remember, remembers, is told to look in the mirror so he can paint himself, runs away and tries to get teacher to run away, teach tells him to keep painting, they return, lord takes painter for himself again.
I have nothing to say except I am HOOKED. Not sure if I'll be buying the future volumes, but this is definitely on my to binge in the future.
Recap/highlights: confronted by the jealous dude, protected by the lord, chastised by teacher, gets drunk, loses virginity and forgets the night, hunting trip, reminded to remember, remembers, is told to look in the mirror so he can paint himself, runs away and tries to get teacher to run away, teach tells him to keep painting, they return, lord takes painter for himself again.
February 20, 2026
This volume was a lot of non con. The plot still seems to be about power dynamics within society and how to play the game of these dynamics. His teacher played a bigger role in this volume than I expected and I still feel like we don't know much about our painter. He is extremely fearful but does stupid things that put his life in danger in this situation.
The dynamics are what really interest me and I don't don't mind non con in these types of books because this is not light hearted, that is when it really annoys me.
The dynamics are what really interest me and I don't don't mind non con in these types of books because this is not light hearted, that is when it really annoys me.
September 6, 2023
byeonduck the icon that you are
February 9, 2024
Este estuvo más entrete. Pobre pintor llorón… igual me encanta que Sergio Lorenzo está enamorado hasta las patas xd… al pintor le dedico la canción de Meg de Hercules jajajaj no diré que es amoooor
July 21, 2024
çizimler güzel, hikaye de iyi ama şu manyak adam sinir ediyor beni
July 28, 2025
Na-Kyum il mio piccolo meow meow prezioso da proteggere!! questo manhwa davvero troppo bello I LOVE IT🙏🏻🩷
(come se non mi avessi già recuperato tutto online OPS)
(come se non mi avessi già recuperato tutto online OPS)
November 29, 2025
It is so bad I want to give it a zero. But that's not possible, so I give it a one
December 29, 2025
one of the best manwha I've read yet
January 28, 2026
This is getting better 🤫 also those well-drawn, well-detailed scenes are sooooo 🫣
January 17, 2025
Mi amigo “estoy horny and still problemas en la cabeza
July 20, 2025
Alla fine di questo volume ho esclamato un doveroso "che f*****o f****o di p*****a!"
Ma andiamo con ordine: viene svelato il misfatto dell'amante JiWah, che preso dalla gelosia, aveva rovinato il dipinto di Na Kyum.
Seungho lo caccia dalla sua casa, intimandogli di non farsi più vedere.
Na Kyung, preoccupato che il suo Mestro possa aver sentito delle voci sulla vicenda, decide di ubriacarsi, e totalmente confuso, si ritrova di fronte a Seungho, confondendolo con il suo Maestro.
Il nobile ne approfitta e intrigato dalla disponibilità del pittore, decide di sedurlo e di fare sesso con lui. Durante il rapporto però è chiaramente infastidito dal fatto che il giovane stia vivendo quell'esperienza totalmente nuova per lui, confondendolo con l'altro.
Giorni dopo il pittore non ricorda nulla di quella notte e quando Seungho, sempre più arrabbiato per essere trattato dal giovane così diversamente rispetto al Maestro, gli svela la verità, minacciando di fare del male all'altro se il pittore non lo intrattiene sessualmente. Il giovane accetta, ma il giorno dopo scappa dalla casa del Nobile, che a quel punto è adirato.
Quando Na Kyum ritrova per caso il Maestro per strada, gli chiede di scappare con lui, ma l'altro, assetato di potere, convince il protagonista a sacrificarsi, convincendolo a tornare a casa del Nobile, affinché questo lo aiuti alla sua scalata per il successo.
Ovviamente detesto il comportamento di Seungho, ma il Maestro non è da meno, anzi, secondo me è anche peggio!
Quantomeno Seungho non finge di essere qualcuno che non è, mentre l'altro si finge uno studioso dai nobili principi, per poi cospirare nell'ombra per rovinare il Nobile e approfittarsi dei sentimenti di Na Kyum per lui, per usarlo.
Ma andiamo con ordine: viene svelato il misfatto dell'amante JiWah, che preso dalla gelosia, aveva rovinato il dipinto di Na Kyum.
Seungho lo caccia dalla sua casa, intimandogli di non farsi più vedere.
Na Kyung, preoccupato che il suo Mestro possa aver sentito delle voci sulla vicenda, decide di ubriacarsi, e totalmente confuso, si ritrova di fronte a Seungho, confondendolo con il suo Maestro.
Il nobile ne approfitta e intrigato dalla disponibilità del pittore, decide di sedurlo e di fare sesso con lui. Durante il rapporto però è chiaramente infastidito dal fatto che il giovane stia vivendo quell'esperienza totalmente nuova per lui, confondendolo con l'altro.
Giorni dopo il pittore non ricorda nulla di quella notte e quando Seungho, sempre più arrabbiato per essere trattato dal giovane così diversamente rispetto al Maestro, gli svela la verità, minacciando di fare del male all'altro se il pittore non lo intrattiene sessualmente. Il giovane accetta, ma il giorno dopo scappa dalla casa del Nobile, che a quel punto è adirato.
Quando Na Kyum ritrova per caso il Maestro per strada, gli chiede di scappare con lui, ma l'altro, assetato di potere, convince il protagonista a sacrificarsi, convincendolo a tornare a casa del Nobile, affinché questo lo aiuti alla sua scalata per il successo.
Ovviamente detesto il comportamento di Seungho, ma il Maestro non è da meno, anzi, secondo me è anche peggio!
Quantomeno Seungho non finge di essere qualcuno che non è, mentre l'altro si finge uno studioso dai nobili principi, per poi cospirare nell'ombra per rovinare il Nobile e approfittarsi dei sentimenti di Na Kyum per lui, per usarlo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2022
Finished at 3:06am hahahahhahaa... I threw my phone so many times... I just wanna get isekai'd by truck-kun so I can protect my baby��my cute cinnamon roll—Na-Kyum... IF ANYONE, ANYONE, TOUCHES MY PRECIOUS BABY ONE MORE TIME THEN HAHAHAHAHAHHA YOU'RE ALL COMING DOWN TO HELL WITH ME!!! HAHAHAHAHAHHAH!!!!!!! Hahahaha... Okay moving onto the next volume... Hopefully I can sleep before 5am
July 29, 2025
Il secondo volume di Painter of the Night è un crescendo di tensione emotiva e desiderio represso. Le dinamiche tra Seungho e Na-kyum si fanno sempre più complicate: da un lato, un nobile tormentato e ossessionato; dall’altro, un artista fragile, diffidente e ancora scosso dal potere che il desiderio può avere sul corpo… e sul cuore.
Il triangolo con Jihwa si fa più velenoso, il confine tra potere e sentimento sempre più labile.
La scena del liquore? Devastante. Intensa. Da leggere con il fiato sospeso.
Qui Byeonduck ci porta dentro un erotismo che non è mai gratuito, ma pieno di dolore, ambiguità e fame di affetto.
L’arte, il corpo, il controllo: ogni elemento è usato con cura chirurgica.
Perfetto se ami storie oscure, sensuali e psicologicamente complesse. Questo non è solo un BL: è un viaggio nei lati più contraddittori dell’amore e della sopravvivenza emotiva.
Il triangolo con Jihwa si fa più velenoso, il confine tra potere e sentimento sempre più labile.
La scena del liquore? Devastante. Intensa. Da leggere con il fiato sospeso.
Qui Byeonduck ci porta dentro un erotismo che non è mai gratuito, ma pieno di dolore, ambiguità e fame di affetto.
L’arte, il corpo, il controllo: ogni elemento è usato con cura chirurgica.
Perfetto se ami storie oscure, sensuali e psicologicamente complesse. Questo non è solo un BL: è un viaggio nei lati più contraddittori dell’amore e della sopravvivenza emotiva.
May 22, 2022
(16-29)2021/7/15
May 19, 2024
the art style is just top tier!
November 15, 2025
3,5 ★
format ──📱
────୨ৎ────
i felt very morally grey reading that
format ──📱
────୨ৎ────
i felt very morally grey reading that
June 18, 2025
I still don't like the ml but Na-kyum is my baby
September 30, 2025
★★★.25
Mamma mia che pesantezza.
In confronto tutte le violenze subite da Seth in Ennead sono una passeggiata di salute.
Na-kyum continua ad essere costretto ad assistere alle ellegre orgette del nobile Seungho per poterle poi dipingere, con la speranza che questo possa essere di qualche aiuto al suo adorato maestro In-hun (avrei qualcosa da ridire anche su di lui). Più passa il tempo e più Na-kyum comincia a provare eccitazione per ciò che vede e allo stesso tempo Seungho comincia a provare una sorta di morbosa fissazione per il giovane pittore, e per questo i pettegolezzi a palazzo si moltiplicano arrivando anche alle orecchie di Jihwa - l'amante prediletto di Seungho - che, in uno scatto d'ira, aggredisce Na-kyum confessando di aver rovinato il dipinto per far giustiziare il ragazzo.
Intanto Na-kyum rivela al maestro di dipingere per il vizioso nobile in cambio dell'incarico prestigioso che è stato affidato a lui, e colpito nell'orgoglio In-hun se la prende con il povero Na-kyum (che pena mi fa). Sconsolato per aver discusso con il suo adorato maestro, fa l'enorme sbaglio di ubriacarsi e, credendolo In-hun, finisce tra le braccia di Seungho (e sotto di lui, ripetutamente) che logicamente ne approfitta. Da qui cominciano i guai per Na-kyum che, già non propriamente un fan del nobile Seungho, quando scopre cosa gli ha fatto comincia ad odiarlo a morte ma, con il timore per l'incolumità del suo maestro, il ragazzo deve sottostare ai capricci e alle violenze di Seungho.
E intanto In-hun che fa? Nulla. Ceco e sordo al disagio e alla paura di Na-kyum anche quando, in preda al terrore, lo implora di scappare con lui, lo incolpa di "averne combinata un'altra delle sue" escludendo a priori che il nobile possa avergli messo le mani addosso, lo sprona a resistere perché presto scoprirà i segreti di Seungho grazie allo stesso Na-kyum e ai servitori corrotti del nobile. Iconica la frase di In-hun con cui si conclude il volume: "qualsiasi cosa accada, alla fine... quel che è vantaggioso per me, lo sarà anche per te.". Io direi proprio di no, perché l'unico che ci sta rimettendo qui è quel povero cristo di Na-kyum.
Visivamente stupendo, i disegni sono meravigliosi così come i colori, l'accuratezza storica è perfetta e le tavole hanno quasi un taglio cinematografico, però le scene sono un pugno nello stomaco e, diciamoci la verità, praticamente è un porno BL con un po' di trama. Una trama che sta piano piano prendendo forma, con un crescendo di tensione e desiderio represso, ma non abbastanza per conquistarmi. Apprezzo che Na-kyum odi Seungho per quello che gli ha fatto invece che ritrovarsi invaghito di lui come alle volte accade in alcuni BL o dark romance, spero che si continuerà su questa strada ma ne dubito, perché da come il tutto si sta evolvendo forse il vero "cattivo" risulterà essere il maestro In-hun. Io non sopporto entrambi, in quanto entrambi tossici per il povero Na-kyum, che per quanto sia un bimbo da proteggere è comunque un po' tonto a non accorgendosi della vera indole del suo adorato maestro.
Mamma mia che pesantezza.
In confronto tutte le violenze subite da Seth in Ennead sono una passeggiata di salute.
Na-kyum continua ad essere costretto ad assistere alle ellegre orgette del nobile Seungho per poterle poi dipingere, con la speranza che questo possa essere di qualche aiuto al suo adorato maestro In-hun (avrei qualcosa da ridire anche su di lui). Più passa il tempo e più Na-kyum comincia a provare eccitazione per ciò che vede e allo stesso tempo Seungho comincia a provare una sorta di morbosa fissazione per il giovane pittore, e per questo i pettegolezzi a palazzo si moltiplicano arrivando anche alle orecchie di Jihwa - l'amante prediletto di Seungho - che, in uno scatto d'ira, aggredisce Na-kyum confessando di aver rovinato il dipinto per far giustiziare il ragazzo.
Intanto Na-kyum rivela al maestro di dipingere per il vizioso nobile in cambio dell'incarico prestigioso che è stato affidato a lui, e colpito nell'orgoglio In-hun se la prende con il povero Na-kyum (che pena mi fa). Sconsolato per aver discusso con il suo adorato maestro, fa l'enorme sbaglio di ubriacarsi e, credendolo In-hun, finisce tra le braccia di Seungho (e sotto di lui, ripetutamente) che logicamente ne approfitta. Da qui cominciano i guai per Na-kyum che, già non propriamente un fan del nobile Seungho, quando scopre cosa gli ha fatto comincia ad odiarlo a morte ma, con il timore per l'incolumità del suo maestro, il ragazzo deve sottostare ai capricci e alle violenze di Seungho.
E intanto In-hun che fa? Nulla. Ceco e sordo al disagio e alla paura di Na-kyum anche quando, in preda al terrore, lo implora di scappare con lui, lo incolpa di "averne combinata un'altra delle sue" escludendo a priori che il nobile possa avergli messo le mani addosso, lo sprona a resistere perché presto scoprirà i segreti di Seungho grazie allo stesso Na-kyum e ai servitori corrotti del nobile. Iconica la frase di In-hun con cui si conclude il volume: "qualsiasi cosa accada, alla fine... quel che è vantaggioso per me, lo sarà anche per te.". Io direi proprio di no, perché l'unico che ci sta rimettendo qui è quel povero cristo di Na-kyum.
Visivamente stupendo, i disegni sono meravigliosi così come i colori, l'accuratezza storica è perfetta e le tavole hanno quasi un taglio cinematografico, però le scene sono un pugno nello stomaco e, diciamoci la verità, praticamente è un porno BL con un po' di trama. Una trama che sta piano piano prendendo forma, con un crescendo di tensione e desiderio represso, ma non abbastanza per conquistarmi. Apprezzo che Na-kyum odi Seungho per quello che gli ha fatto invece che ritrovarsi invaghito di lui come alle volte accade in alcuni BL o dark romance, spero che si continuerà su questa strada ma ne dubito, perché da come il tutto si sta evolvendo forse il vero "cattivo" risulterà essere il maestro In-hun. Io non sopporto entrambi, in quanto entrambi tossici per il povero Na-kyum, che per quanto sia un bimbo da proteggere è comunque un po' tonto a non accorgendosi della vera indole del suo adorato maestro.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2026
3.5
🌟Pro: Allora, questo secondo volume mi ha preso e al tempo stesso mi ha lasciata un po’ così… perplessa. Seungho rimane un personaggio incredibilmente complesso e magnetico: il suo desiderio per Na-kyum, il modo in cui oscilla tra crudeltà e tenerezza, è sia affascinante che straziante. Si percepisce chiaramente quanto il potere, il desiderio e la gelosia possano complicare una relazione, e la tensione psicologica tra i personaggi è palpabile. Na-kyum, dal canto suo, continua a crescere: il suo talento artistico, la sua diffidenza e i momenti di fragilità lo rendono realistico e molto umano.
-L’ambientazione storica coreana è davvero ben resa: i palazzi, le stanze dei nobili, le cerimonie e i dettagli culturali aggiungono una profondità che rende tutto più immersivo. La parte artistica, la pittura di Na-kyun, è un altro livello: vedere come l’arte diventa uno strumento di espressione dei sentimenti repressi e della tensione sessuale è incredibilmente potente. E sì, la componente romance/erotica è intensa e ben costruita.
-In generale, la storia continua a esplorare temi complicati come il potere, la sottomissione, l’ossessione e il desiderio, e lo fa senza tirarsi indietro. Non è un volume facile, ma se amate le relazioni tormentate e complesse lo apprezzerete.
🌟Contro: ci sono stati momenti in cui la storia mi ha un po’ confusa o rallentata. Alcune scene ripetono dinamiche simili a quelle del primo volume, e a volte la crudeltà di Seungho, pur essendo coerente con il suo personaggio, diventa pesante da seguire per troppo tempo. Il ritmo non è sempre costante: certe parti narrative e dialoghi si dilungano, e questo rallenta la tensione.
-L'erotismo è centrale e ben costruito, ma il continuo focus sulle gelosie e i malintesi può risultare frustrante: a volte sembra che i personaggi girino intorno alle stesse dinamiche senza davvero evolvere. Per chi ama una storia più lineare o con progressi più rapidi nella relazione, questo volume potrebbe risultare un po’ impegnativo.
🌟Pro: Allora, questo secondo volume mi ha preso e al tempo stesso mi ha lasciata un po’ così… perplessa. Seungho rimane un personaggio incredibilmente complesso e magnetico: il suo desiderio per Na-kyum, il modo in cui oscilla tra crudeltà e tenerezza, è sia affascinante che straziante. Si percepisce chiaramente quanto il potere, il desiderio e la gelosia possano complicare una relazione, e la tensione psicologica tra i personaggi è palpabile. Na-kyum, dal canto suo, continua a crescere: il suo talento artistico, la sua diffidenza e i momenti di fragilità lo rendono realistico e molto umano.
-L’ambientazione storica coreana è davvero ben resa: i palazzi, le stanze dei nobili, le cerimonie e i dettagli culturali aggiungono una profondità che rende tutto più immersivo. La parte artistica, la pittura di Na-kyun, è un altro livello: vedere come l’arte diventa uno strumento di espressione dei sentimenti repressi e della tensione sessuale è incredibilmente potente. E sì, la componente romance/erotica è intensa e ben costruita.
-In generale, la storia continua a esplorare temi complicati come il potere, la sottomissione, l’ossessione e il desiderio, e lo fa senza tirarsi indietro. Non è un volume facile, ma se amate le relazioni tormentate e complesse lo apprezzerete.
🌟Contro: ci sono stati momenti in cui la storia mi ha un po’ confusa o rallentata. Alcune scene ripetono dinamiche simili a quelle del primo volume, e a volte la crudeltà di Seungho, pur essendo coerente con il suo personaggio, diventa pesante da seguire per troppo tempo. Il ritmo non è sempre costante: certe parti narrative e dialoghi si dilungano, e questo rallenta la tensione.
-L'erotismo è centrale e ben costruito, ma il continuo focus sulle gelosie e i malintesi può risultare frustrante: a volte sembra che i personaggi girino intorno alle stesse dinamiche senza davvero evolvere. Per chi ama una storia più lineare o con progressi più rapidi nella relazione, questo volume potrebbe risultare un po’ impegnativo.
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