Alchemy of Souls - Part 5

That crown prince, Go Won, is an idiot.  An idiot in love with Mu-deok.  An idiot for the maid he is willingly fooled by.  Against her miniature jade bird’s egg, Go Won places ten gold toads.  One toad for each of the ten fights he and Mu-deok decided upon.  He’s a fool to agree that Jang Uk only needs to win one fight.  One fight out of ten?  Again, he’s a man in love.  There are other ways to fool himself and they, too, will come to light. But more on that later. The Alchemy of Souls [1] disregards status in place of entertainment.  It’s an even playing field on that score. Anyway, the tournament starts off badly.  Jang Uk is unaccommodating and is, furthermore, lacking experience in combat.  He, also, still resents Mu-deok’s perceived betrayal.  Jang Uk understands that her true motive in setting up the fights is to force him to return to training.  He declines many offers to swap his knowledge of the literary love poem task for valuable skills knowledge.  It’s a peeved Jang Uk rejecting Mu-deok’s attempts to manage him. When she calls him a baby, he threatens to show her just how much of a baby he can be.  Oh lordy!  So funny. Cutting off his nose to spite his face is a self-destructive and petty form of revenge.  But he just doesn’t care right now.  Too much!  Too much! The comedy of lovers is too much.

Mu-deok is becoming frantic.  But soon enough, her assumption that Jang Uk is despondent over his repeated defeats at the duelling contests is dismissed.  Her pupil, instead, is recreating the moves each combatant uses against him.  He replicates the latest one in front of Mu-deok perfectly, if not strongly.  The gamble Mu-deok took with her precious gift and the giver of that gift appears to have paid off.  Jang Uk is successfully adding all the fight moves ‘stolen’ from opponents to his skills inventory.  What a clever man. As a bonus, he’s snapped out of his anger with Mu-deok and is treating her with tender care, wiping her wet feet caused when followed him into the pond he was hurled into by his opponent at the most recent duel. Never having to say you are sorry still makes the heart beat fast.

On the horizon, even as celebrations are in full swing, and hearts are filled with successes that had to that point seemed beyond even imagination, a new threat to the rightful order of things in Daeho is gathering pace.  So-yi becomes an indirect danger on multiple levels when she becomes entangled with Mu-deok, Seo Yul and Jin Mu.  She’s a con artist seemingly without a conscience, or maybe a desperate young woman with nowhere to go, nothing to care about, no one to care for her. She will be abused because of the first, exploited because of the second, and saved because of the be third.  So-yi, to survive, will leave total chaos in her wake.

The Unravelling

Up to this point, you may have noticed, there hasn’t been much focus on soul shifters.  Yes, they are a constant threat and a real menace when they do appear, but their existence is more theory than fact.  The inhabitants of Daeho have heard of them.  Few have seen them. They have entered the dreams of even fewer, including the majority of those tasked with keeping the country free of them.  The concept is a truly horrific one, but what we are shown is, thankfully, short in the abuse of our emotional health.  Still, the process of alchemy of souls is happening right under the noses of the largest concentration of veteran and young gifted mages.  Yet, when the invasion happens, it takes a newly minted mage to manage the fallout.  It is to make real the prophesied destiny of Jang Uk; but some help would be nice.  As for Jin Mu, with all the evidence they have of his wrong doings, his collusion with the dark side, with his blatant and overt abuse of power, it isn’t believable that he can just keep sliding under the radar.  Except, to be fair, in life, there really are some people as immoral, unconscionably wicked, greedy, and lucky as Jin Mu, the assistant Gwanju and master of magic to the crown price.  It is a lesson of who you know being critical to getting what you want done (secretly) done.  It’s at a point where, as soon as Jin Mu comes on screen, I involuntarily find myself with a one-sided twitch to my mouth.  It's more of a grimace than a smirk, though.

A number of other threads in the drama serve to frustrate the viewer because they get in the way of the main story.  They are, don’t misunderstand, entertaining, but by then we (the royal ‘we’) only want to see Jang Uk and Mu-deok on screen.  Whether they are fighting, loving, or plotting, it all holds your attention and makes you laugh, sigh in approval, or appreciate their cunning. Talking of laughter, there is much to enjoy in Alchemy of Souls. [2]  Be it Park Jin bickering with Maidservant Kim or Master Lee’s transparent one-side ‘secret’ love for that same lady, it is all beautifully played and all totally relatable.  Mention has to go out to So-yi, the villain with a good heart.  Her portrayal of a damaged character through circumstance sits at just the right place.  It is easy to see her as both a victim of society’s making and a victim of her own doing.  So-yi reminds us how easy it is to be dismissive of the lives of others, as long as those we love are not among them.  We see her accommodate the deaths of all who would recognise her as she colludes with Jin Mu to become the (fake) daughter of the Jin family, who has been missing for over ten years.  Yet the thought of Seo Yul, her secret crush, getting hurt is enough for her to jeopardise the entire scheme.  People are inherently selfish, and So-yi reminds us of that weakness in fine style.

So what actually happens? Unintended consequences come into play, swiftly followed by hiding in plain sight.  The drama moves on with a leap.  Jang Uk is prevented from being in the vicinity of a partly petrified and missing soul shifter that Park Jin and Yom Heom were trying to “resurrect” so it could provide information on its master.  He is banned from a task all the other mages are enlisted to do.  Protect Songrim.  Separating him from the group can only lead to trouble.  Now he is on his own and more vulnerable than ever.  But, wait!  Why is it only Jang Uk’s life that is worth protecting, whilst the others risk theirs?  No matter.  Luckily, he runs into Mu-deok about to run an errand to Cheongbugwan, Jin Mu’s home located beside the palace. He tags along. 

Ready for this?

Of course, the pair of them get into big, big, trouble.  Inside Jin Mu’s lair, surrounded by soul shifters and the mechanisms that switch souls, it’s a tragedy waiting to happen.  Jin Mu is a criminal boss who is so confident that he leaves the doors and windows open for all to see.  But no-one is looking.  Hiding in plain sight, then, is the way to go.  Enter our two lovebirds in denial -- not of their feelings any more but of what is under their noses.  The inevitable happens: Mu-deok becomes a meal for a soul shifter that’s running wild.  It's a banquet prepared by Jin Mu.  He’s trapped Jang Uk with magic and will come back to perform the party trick later.  That of shifting Jang Uk’s soul into… I’m not sure to whom.  To encourage the shy soul shifter present to eat, or rather to allow it to come out of hiding, Jin Mu even provides privacy; he’ll be back to clear up. 

Desperation breeds courage.  Mu-deok turns the tables and we see her absorbing the energy from the soul shifter (of which, of course, she is one, too).  The prey becomes the hunter.  Simultaneously, calling on the courage of his master, Jang Uk, in turn, successfully breaks through Jin Mu’s enchantment, and races to save Mu-deok. He arrives just in time to watch his beloved turn into a ‘monster’.  She’s more upset than him, it seems.  Backing away to protect Jang Uk from making contact with her, Mu-deok is distraught and heartbroken.  If they make physical contact, his energy will be absorbed by her. 

It’s alright, he whispers, you haven’t changed.  That over-developed confidence of his is astonishing.  Holding Mu-deok in a tight embrace reassures them both that, once again, his trust in her is warranted.  She, indeed, does not run wild.  Instead, we see Nak-su take control of Mu-deok as the former’s gate of energy is not only regenerated but filled with enough power to raise the roof of the constellation room they are in and, as a bonus, produce lighting.  Of course, this alerts everyone who needs to be alerted. Jin Mu is nearest and seeks the interlopers to kill them. 

In some situations, the only one that can help you is your enemy -- if that enemy is both a secret admirer and the crown prince in one.  They’ve shared a moment before, when Go Won inadvertently filled the blue bird’s egg he got off Mu-deok with energy.  Jang Uk’s egg responded to create a strong mutually emotional pull between the holders of the respective artifacts.  It’s a heart fluttering reaction, which means that when one jade egg calls, the holder of the other egg must answer.  Each must seek and locate the other one.  The first time left Go Won and Jang Uk blowing and snorting in embarrassment.  They didn’t seem to really mind, though, which suggests the enmity between them has reduced.  Perhaps they are close to being friends.  Now, as if to prove it, Jang Uk, ‘calls’ Go Won to rescue him.  The response is instant; Go Won heads straight out at Jang Uk’s signal.

Earlier in the drama, Heo Yeom had declared with glee that Jang Uk running away to avoid the duel was the smart thing to do.  When caught between a rock and a hard place, he’d laughed, fleeing is the correct action.  There is another route to get out of trouble.  Lie.  Deny.  Accuse the other person of the mischief.  Jin Mu has clearly done this before.  With neither a blink of the eye nor a tremble of the lip, he declares himself the victim of Jang Uk’s despicable scheme.  Without evidence of the opposite, it’s all a misunderstanding and he will be charitable to the trespassers and let them go.  He’s fooling no one, but what to do?  That sneaky one-side of the mouth smirk will become permanent if the wind blows in the wrong direction, as the saying goes.

Repeating a story with no clear head or tail does nothing to enlighten anyone, not even Songrim leader Park Jin, who arrives at the scene of the crime at the crown prince’s behest. Giving in is the only thing Jang Uk can do.  He was wrong, he says.  An apology is due to the Assistant Gwanju for his insolence and absurd lie, he insists.  Mu-deok stays silent.  Really?  Nope!  They have the evidence.  Now, locating the lump of stone that was once Eunuch Kim is key.  Only, at a meeting to force Jin Mu to hand over the solid corpse, in walks the queen, and in walks Eunuch Kim.  Between sighs of frustration and disbelief, the case is dropped.  Jang Uk will have to be punished for lying about his senior and to everyone that became involved.  The previously silent Mu-deok suddenly finds the voice to plead for her young master not to be sent to Songrim for punishment.  He will be killed, apparently.  The 100 lashes he suffered (because she stole and lost a key to the city) is used as evidence of the threat to his life if the crown prince allows Park Jin to take Jang Uk back home.  The lovers lying in harmony is so smooth that Jang Uk is almost tearful.  He is highly remorseful and is overly willing to face the consequences.  So much so that he literally pulls Park Jin’s aide towards home as he is simultaneously pushed in the same direction by Mu-deok.  The double act is not new to Go Won.  But even he’s unsure of what’s happening.  No one is. Wide-eyed and incredulous probably best describes the reaction of the witnesses. 

Once outside Cheongbugwan, Jang Uk repeats his original story.  Park Jin assures him he believes every word of it.  Now, what to do about it?  The promised punishment equates to staying off the radar and relaxing.  As long as he keeps out of trouble.  Well, that’s never going to happen, is it?  Jang Uk really does try to follow the good angel, but the bad one is just much more alluring. 

Back inside Cheongbugwan, the drama becomes transparent and honest.  The Queen is revealed as being the holder of the Ice Stone.  Her Royal Highness -- Shaman Choi in the queen’s body -- did a U-Turn post-meeting and returned to discuss what happened and how close they were to being caught.  The dead eunuch, who is alive again, is full of pep and vigour.  He feels his worth has increased, and he demands more respect, a new body, and more power. The Ice Stone that was used to revive him is unceremoniously extracted by the queen.  And serves him right.  Her heartless action, done without blinking, reminds the viewer that blackmailing doesn’t work when the one you threaten has more power and also holds your life in their hands. 

Things continue to unravel, starting with the crown prince cogitating on why the intruder, Jang Uk, was unarmed, and the innocent, Jin Mu, came bearing a deadly weapon.  It appears a shift in loyalties is on the horizon. For Jang Uk, lying to Maidservant Kim about being on ‘fake probation’ (wonderful), which comes with a vacation, fools no-one, except perhaps Maidservant Kim, because everything he utters, she accepts without question.  Master Lee, who sort of just happens to be present, invites Jang Uk to go fishing with him.  It takes a little pushing from Mu-deok, who is in on the real reason for the invitation, but off they go to Lake Gyeongcheondaeho to catch a golden fish.  We are, it appears, heading towards the interference of a true master mage in the business of the one who would be king.  Whether he intends to help support the prophecy or thwart it is unclear.  Anyway, by the time they return to Songrim, Jang Uk has reached Chisu, the third and highest level of magic that humans can reach.  Everyone is minding everyone else’s business, which suggests the drama is preparing to whip the viewers into a frenzy of excitement or break their hearts.  Maybe both.

We almost forgot to attend the final duel from the Crown Prince and Mu-doek ten fight wager.  With all that drama about resurrected soul shifters and bare face lies by officials, the fate of Mu-deok’s blue bird’s egg mustn’t be forgotten. 

By the final match, everyone is aware that Jang Uk’s chance of winning this match has increased.  Master Nak-su is not alone in studying Jang Uk’s progress across the fights. Seo Yul points out to Park Dang-gu that he need not worry too much.  There’s every chance their friend could win one of the fights; he has been learning well from each loss.  Seo Yul silently recognises that Jang Uk has been trying to apply the moves that felled him against each successive competitor.  The crown prince, too, is aware of Jang Uk’s rapid improvement.  It’s time to acknowledge what he already knew:  Mu-deok has used his gold to train her master in ten different fight moves.  He’s bitter and upset.  Facing Mu-deok, Go Won accuses her of using him.  She admits it.  But the bet remains active as she wants her bird’s egg back.  In that case, if it means that much to her, if it’s a token of her love with Jang Uk, he’ll throw it away.  Couldn’t care less, is Mu-deok’s response. 

Leonora

asiandramaobserver@gmail.com

[1] Alchemy of Souls. Screenplay by Hong Jang-eun and Hong Mi-ran; Director, Park Joon-hwa;  www.netflix.com/watch/81608518

[2] Alchemy of Souls. Screenplay by Hong Jang-eun and Hong Mi-ran; Director, Park Joon-hwa;  www.netflix.com/watch/81608518