Hong sisters know what questions we had about the series after the premiere of Alchemy of Souls. They make sure how to reel us in by giving what we need, yet enticing us with more.
With Wook’s gate of energy opened, he is keener to work on what he missed. And he has his unique master to teach what he needs.
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Alchemy of Souls Episode 3 Highlights
Previously in Alchemy of Souls, a genius battle mage named Naksu who can shift souls entered a blind woman named Mu-deok.
Jang Wook of the prestigious Jang family realizes the soul inside Mu-deok and decides to be her apprentice.
However, Naksu’s genius can’t keep up with Mu-deok’s frail body. Almost giving up, she realizes that she needs the power to induce hers.
Thus, she poisons Wook so his gate of energy that was sealed by his father can be freed.
“I am the only person who is safe enough to come this close to you. All my life, no one ever seemed to know how desperate I was. No one has ever risked their lives for me like you did.”
Barely standing, Wook falls to his knees to ask forgiveness from Master Park. He reasons that he ordered his maid to do the poisoning. He pleads to spare her since she risked her life to do what he asked.
Master Park relents to forego the punishment because Wook hasn’t fully recovered from the poison yet. But insisting Mu-deok to receive treatment escalated Master Park’s rage.
In the end, he concedes and walks away commanding the two to be brought to the healing place.
Later, Yul learns from Dang-gu about Mu-deok’s blindness that magically vanished. Feeling suspicious of Wook’s closeness to his new maid, Yul concludes there’s something that she could be hiding.
Regaining consciousness, Wook rants about all the care he gave Mu-deok from tending to her wounds and making sure no one disturbed her.
With that, he also declares that he will serve her as his new master. Mu-deok agrees on conditions that they keep their identities as Master and maid. She also tells him that their relationship ends when he becomes the best mage and when she gets back her energy.
Accepting his master’s requests, Wook seals their agreement and respects her decision to leave once all the conditions she laid are met.
“I was not strong. I was extremely strong. I am a mage who has mastered all three steps to become the best mage. I moved silently like a shadow and the heads of my enemies fell to the ground where I passed. I was Naksu, the Shadow Assassin.”
At the villains’ lair, Jin Mu feeds a soul-shifter with human souls. He receives the report from Kil-ju that they already disposed of the gisaeng they thought Naksu was hosting. Kil-ju lies about seeing the blue mark and asks his minion to investigate the brothel.
Meanwhile, Wook frolics on how he can now stand the coldness of icy water because his energy gate is open. Recounting her glorious days as the best mage in the land, Mu-deok gave a convincing pitch of her feats complete with a demonstration of her killer moves.
But as soon as she rested for a bit, her weak body betrays the stories she just said. Sulking on her miserable fate, Wook assures her that he has her back no matter what.
Feeling petty, Mu-deok comments how Wook has poor agility and she proves it further with his lack of swordsmanship. Even his brawl fight is abysmal.
Wook argues that he has never learned properly. She taunts him to learn jipsu (ability to gather the energy of water) quick to dispel the kingdom-wide rumor that he is not Jang Gang’s son.
At a resting pavilion, Master Park and Maidservant Kim are on a serious talk about their love stories. Maidservant Kim pokes at the widely-talked rumor of how Master Park is still not over Do-hwa.
In return, he also asks if she is still in love with Jang Gang and rants about all the foolish things she did for that love. Rubbing salt to their wounds, the two end up feeling despondent about their respective unrequited love.
“Once I get to Songrim and be stronger than Yul and Dang-gu, they will regret not taking me sooner.”
Sensing Maidservant Kim’s disappointment with the extra care Wook is giving Mu-deok, he is quick to sweet-talk her.
He explains how he wants Mu-deok to do the arduous tasks she’s been doing for him. Smartly, he mentions how long it takes to brew his tea and how her porcelain skin is becoming dull as well.
While sweeping the ground, Mu-deok encounters Master Heo and his assistant. Upon learning that Master Heo gave 10 years’ worth of energy to Wook, she rushes to where he is.
Surprised at her master’s sudden groping, she checks on the energy embedded by Master Heo. She explains the energy stored inside his body.
At that same moment, Master Park is urging Master Heo to claim back the same energy. But Master Heo insists that he doesn’t need to, confident that Wook won’t be able to do anything on it anyway.
Quick to uptake, Mu-deok explains that he has to learn jipsu right away in case Master Heo claims it back. The old guy can seize it easily if Wook can’t control energy.
“So you feel uneasy about touching him unlike how you felt with me?”
To keep Master Heo’s energy in place, the two spy on Seo Yul to determine his way of breathing since he is from the same family as Master Heo. While deducing how they can execute their plan without Yul suspecting them, Wook didn’t like her remark that she would struggle to touch Yul when she just nonchalantly groped him.
Their bickering was noticed by Dang-gu who immediately sides with Mu-deok fully empathizing with how his friend could be making life hard for her. Adorably retaliating, Wook responds they are at the library because Mu-deok wants to see Yul, but she is shy to approach him.
Dang-gu volunteers to bring Mu-deok to Yul and also tells Wook to see Master Heo. Communicating with their eyes, the two agree to protect the energy bestowed by Master Heo.
Buttering up Master Heo, Wook knows just what to do and offers jars of limited-edition wine in Daeho. However, Yul who is suspicious of Mu-deok points out that servants are not allowed inside the library.
Seizing her chance, Mu-deok follows Yul with the blessing from Dang-gu. When he confronts her stubbornness while inside the bathhouse, he had to drag her when a group of mages approached.
Only needing Yul’s breath pattern by touching him, Mu-deok places her hands on his tummy, but he cuts what she was doing. He brings her outside and demands what she’s trying to do.
Left with no choice, Mu-deok declares she’s in love with him. It turns out that Yul has figured out that she’s trying to check his breathing pattern. He further thinks that she’s under Wook’s order.
“I will try not to fall for Yul. He is handsome. It takes effort not to fall for a handsome man.”
Leaving Naksu’s wooden bird flute, she realizes that Yul had also recognized Naksu so he kept it with him. Realizing he lost the flute; Yul returns and sees Mu-deok playing a tune. A tune that his memory remembers.
Mu-deok asks why he keeps an old flute, and Yul responds that it belongs to an old friend. Bargaining for what she wanted or she will break the flute, Yul inched closer to grab her hand and relays she only needs three breaths.
Looking for his master, Wook finds Yul and Mu-deok standing close to each other. He reminds her that he’s the only person allowed to be ultimately close to her because of the blue mark in her eyes.
Heedlessly agreeing, Mu-deok replied how hard it is not to fall for a handsome man like Yul. Wook perks up thinking she must feel the same way with him. But she coldly shuts where his thoughts are leading him.
“His existence will bring chaos. He should not attract attention or challenge anyone. We must make people think that he is nothing special.”
Officially introducing his presence, Go Won (Shin Seung Ho) meets Jin Mu, his master, after a fierce fight with Kil-ju and his men. He was praised as he officially completed the second level of mage power – ryusu (the ability to gain energy from the flow of water).
Using his closeness to Go Won, Jin Mu conveys Naksu’s sword was retrieved by Wook since he is a member of the Jang family. Successfully planting animosity in Won’s heart and mind towards Wook, Jin Mu smiles inwardly.
Summoned by Master Park to Songrim, Wook offers Naksu’s sword for his entrance. However, Master Park refused it and even gives his father’s sword.
Master Park declares that he cannot enter Songrim as a mage and is officially banished from the place. When he was asked to surrender the spirit plaque which Mu-deok previously had and was stolen by the gisaeng, Wook responds that he does not have it.
Because of that, Master Park orders a hundred floggings as punishment for him losing the spirit plaque. Bearing the pain, Wook endured the floggings. But on the 100th flog, he asked Master Park to do it.
Surviving the beatings, he asked Mu-deok to get the sword and they leave Songrim.
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Alchemy of Souls Episode 3 Musings
Master Heo Yeom tips us on why Master Park is stern but discreetly fond of Wook. It turns out he also harbored a love for Do-hwa, Wook’s birth mother.
Maidservant Kim affirmed how ardent that love was and mentioned how he even wrote poems and gave gifts. Really, we hope that Master Park and Maidservant Jin find that the love they deserve is closer to their reach.
We got the answer to who Wook’s father was right away. Based on what we already know, if Wook is the son of the king, then he was conceived with Jang Gang’s physical body, but the king’s energy. At the rate of the story’s pacing, we would soon know what powers Wook would have with that combination.
Along with that, Wook’s birth secret also ripples foreboding future for him considering he is the rightful crown prince. Jang Gang and Master Park have valid woes, but we resonate more to how lonely Wook’s life has been.
Foreshadowing the complicated relationship that would arise between Wook and Mu-deok-Naksu, the scene of them sealing their master-pupil relationship hints at a heavier back story to trace about Naksu.
In this episode, Jin Mu also explained how soul-shifters can lose energy depending on the body they host. The same incident that happened when Jang Gang shifted his soul to the king’s weak body.
We can also suppose that Jin Mu, even then, had wicked and treacherous inklings. Being the crown prince’s teacher, he has plenty of power at his disposal when his true intentions are revealed.
Witness an energizing story in Alchemy of Souls every Saturday and Sunday. International fans can watch it on Netflix.
Photos: tvN
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