Three Years Later
In the first episode of Alchemy of Souls Season 2, we follow Jinyowon and Cho-yeon as they attend a ritual to purify the land. It’s been 3 years since we followed our characters and Cho-yeon is looking as beautiful as ever. She mesmerises one of the traders who decides to drink his liquor. Cho-yeon is famous in these parts, but then so too is the legend of Naksu, whom we know fell into the lake…but we also saw her saved so we’ll have to wait and see what happens with that.
Soul-shifter hunter Jang-Uk effortlessly shrugs off attacks from a soul shifter who shows up, and the trio watch from afar in awe as he bests the man. This new addition to the game introduces a new level of excitement and suspense for players, as they wait to see who will be the next target. ..
Jang-Uk, the protagonist, is haunted by the ghosts of the past after Naksu, a trio of girls who are said to have magical powers, show him and his friends their charm. We know how this story ended up - Jang-Uk and his friends were killed by Naksu’s brother. This makes Jang-Uk feel haunted by the ghosts of his friends and himself, as he knows that they could have been saved if only they had known about Naksu’s powers. ..
The streets of Daeho are looking as beautiful as ever but it hides ugliness in plain sight. Park Dang-Gu, the current leader of Songrim, chases a soul shifter that heads into Jinyowon but the ladies there won’t let him in. Sine we last saw them, they’ve got a strict no-entry policy and that even extends to Cho-Yeon too, whom we know was originally romantically linked with him.
Cho-yeon gives him the cold shoulder, encouraging Dang-Gu to stay feeling guilty about what happened to her father However, Jang-Uk seizes the opportunity to suddenly sneak in, causing her to grow frazzled. She quickly shuts the gates, leaving Dang-Gu outside and Jang-Uk in the unlikely presence of a trapped priestess in the dungeon, after killing the Soul Shifter outside of course. However, he ends up using the sword and his powers in the process.
Inside the room, Bu-Yeon is kept under her mother’s control, having been found three years prior and intent on using her to birth a child with great divine powers. Until then, she’s not able to leave. Jang-Uk makes sure to delay her escape by three days, giving Bu-Yeon a route out courtesy of throwing plates at the wall and wedging them in. ..
Despite her claims to be a powerful woman, Jin Ho-Gyeong’s voice is quite unpleasant to listen to. She seems more interested in her lineage and power than anything else. ..
Dang-Gu has clearly taken over as leader of Songrim, and he is doing a great job. He may not be the best spellcaster, but he is a good businessman and can help the Kingdom run smoothly. When it comes to Park Jin though, he’s busy cooking up food and tending to his garden with Kim by his side. Unfortunately, he uses garlic too much in his kimchi and subjects his family to a pretty horrible meal as a result!
Jang-Uk is not there though and he finds himself drinking alone. He’s not on his own for long though, as the Crown Prince arrives and immediately tries his alcohol, shocked at how strong it is. He also laments how Jang-Uk looks down at him and likens him to an annoying splinter in the finger. Jang-Uk shrugs it off and largely ignores the Crown Prince, telling him he’ll return when he’s killed another Soul Shifter.
But she knows she’s on borrowed time. Soon, she’ll be found and her betrothed will be revealed. Bu-Yeon intends to find him and end this before it gets too far out of hand.
Bu-Yeon decides to confront Jang-Uk personally, asking him to be her betrothed. After all, he has no love lost for Jinyowon either and even reveals her true identity to him. Bu-Yeon tells him she’ll wait for him on the night of her wedding. ..
Jang-Uk is taken away by the Jinyowon guards. She doesn’t want to think about what happened.
Bu-Yeon is down-hearted but is taken on her carriage, desperately waiting for her groom (Jang-Uk) to arrive and take her away. He doesn’t show, as Bu-Yeon heads en-route to her real husband, we learn that this is not Seo Yul but in fact the cousin of General Seo of Seoho Fortress. The guy lost his parents early and has no one to rely on. She’s assured that he’ll do well but Cho-Yeon is quiet as she listens to her mother.
Jang-Uk helps Bu-yeon cross the river and decides that she’ll be of use to him. She clings to him tightly, her arms around his waist.
The Episode Review
The opening scene is tense and introduces the characters, setting the tone for the rest of the novel. We follow a trader named Gertrude as she travels to a small town in search of work. She’s not sure what to expect when she arrives, but soon realizes that her life has been turned upside down. The town is in trouble and she’s the only one who can help.
Jung So-Min is a definite miss here though portraying Mu-Deok and that lack of energy is definitely felt. However, Bu-Yeon is a new mystery box, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we see something along the lines of Naksu’s soul inside Bu-Yeon, explaining why she’s so familiar with her bouncy energy.
With only 10 episodes left in the season, the writers need to get a move on if they want to get any solid answers.
