Alchemy of Souls - Part 6

This love that Go Won refers to, between Mu-deok and Jang Uk, surely wouldn’t rely on such a superficial thing as a bird’s egg.  Would it?  Mu-deok’s response to such an assumption is disdainful.

Go Won’s shock at Mu-deok’s attitude has him trembling with anger and frustration.  In a fit of pique, he forcefully lobs the bird’s egg into a nearby pond.    Now there is another prize.  Mu-deok herself becomes the collateral for the bet.  Petty Crown Prince Go Won insists that she replace the last gold toad.  She will serve whoever wins the match.  Without a choice, understanding that she did indeed go too far with fooling Go Won, Mu-deok accepts.  She walks away, seemingly unmoved. The expectation is that Jang Uk will lose. It’s feared by his friends, hoped for by Go Won and Jang Uk’s detractors. Only Mu-doek has full confidence of victory.  Go Won is desperate for the opposite to happen.  And, anyway, if he, Go Won, crown prince and heir to the throne, can’t have Mu-deok, the insolent maid, he’ll make sure to separate the lovers. But how to ensure Jang Uk loses.  He needs to guarantee success.

Who will win the duel is no longer a foregone conclusion.  In fact, the only person who can beat Jang Uk for sure is his best friend, Seo Yul.  Will he do it?  Yes. Without hesitation, Seo Yul agrees to challenge the person he spent nine fights cheering towards victory.  Go Won should have asked why Jang Uk’s friend is so quick to fight him.  Being cousins with Seo Yul, however, the crown prince chooses to ignore the obvious and fool himself again.

Whilst the crown prince plots to win against Jang Uk for the sake of his pride and the love of a woman he already knows he will never win, own, nor return his feelings, Jang Uk wants only to win back what should never have been used as the stake for a bet.  Meanwhile, Jin Mu is preparing to unleash his army of walking dead.  He needs the support of the only family that can subdue Songrim.  Jinyowon. Jin Mu has tried and repeatedly failed to best Park Jin.  The animosity between them is open and well known.  Tricking his half-sister, Jin Ho-gyeong,  Leader of Jinyowon, into believing he can find the daughter, Jin Bu-yeon (who has been missing for ten years) sounds like a good ploy.  Jin Mu knows her whereabouts.  After all, it was he that pushed Jin Bu-yeon into Lake Gyeongcheondaeho when it looked like she was about to destroy the Ice Stone she had successfully magically retrieved from its depths.  It does not appear that either Jin Mu or her father, Jin Woo-tak, who was also present, tried to rescue the blind girl.  And neither did they divulge the truth to her mother or anyone else.  As a consequence, the search continues, which, by all accounts, can never produce the outcome so desperately desired.  So desperate is Mother Jin, in fact, that she will hold hands with her half-brother, even knowing he is a high officer of the devil’s army. That said, Alchemy of Souls[ 1] keeps it real.  The situations that play out are, sadly, all too closely related to real life, even in this land that does not exist on a map.

The battle between the experienced Seo Yul and the novice Jang Uk is riveting.  As Jang Uk blocks attack after attack using spell after spell previously fired at him, the owners of that magic is both astonished and impressed.  The clueless team-mate has bested his rivals by assimilating and applying to his advantage what had previously defeated him.  But Seo Yul is a master mage, the best in the group, and after a longer than expected battle, defeats Jang Uk.  No bad feelings on either side.  As for the transfer of Mu-deok to the winner of the battle?  Jang Uk and Mu-deok, their friend reassures them, need not change their existing routines or relationship.  Mu-deok belongs with Jang Uk.  That will not change.  It’s a charitable move from someone, the viewers know, is also in love with this maid.  Except the person in his heart is Nak-su.  They have a history together that he dare not share with anyone. 

Seo Yul knows who Mu-deok is.  He worked it out bit-by-bit.  After all, Nak-su does not try to hide herself, as she believes her disguise as Mu-doek does that for her.  Still, some of her actions and words raise past memories for Seo Yul.  The two met when they were both teenagers.  He loved her then, too, but failed to tell her.  Now, he holds her real identity close to his heart and hidden from those who would harm her. This decision severely compromises his role as a terminator of soul shifters.  Love, however, trumps all.

Ignoring the clues means he does not have to take action, not even consider the consequences that identifying the assassin will bring.  More, by maintaining the pretence of ignorance, he can hold on to his memories of his time with the lonely teenager that befriended him.  She is the girl that he spent summers with, shared an interest in bird watching with, sat high in tree branches with, and the young woman who rescued him when he broke his leg.  Nak-su was the first and only person for whom Seo Yul broke the rules.  He visited her regularly in her remote and lonely valley, defying instructions to stop the dangerous trips to the remote Danhyanggok.  He visited in secret until Nak-su learnt that his father was among those that had killed her whole family, or so she believed. Her threat to kill him did not dissuade him.  His youth and lack of courage stopped his romantic intentions when Nak-su rejected his timid declaration of love Seo Yul withdrew back to his world and never returned.  It is a decision, he later says, he has deeply regretted.  Now, he plans to take her away, to hide her from Songrim.  It’s to make up for what he failed to do when they first met.  Seo Yul came to realise, though too late, that he should have brought Nak-su from her dangerous isolation into the safety of his world.  His quiet demeanour perfectly reflects his compassion as he shares with Jang Uk his knowledge of Nak-su’s identity.  Still, he makes it clear without changing tone or attitude that he, too, has his limits, a line that he won’t let people push beyond.  It warns of still waters running deep.  It’s all so understated and moving that we could easily forget we’re not watching reality.   

None the wiser that her soul has been identified, a skipping, happy Mu-deok, heads out to find her beau, love token in hand. Shortly after the last battle, Mu-deok retrieved the bird’s egg from the pond where the crown prince had thrown it in anger. She can face Jang Uk now. Her steps falter, then cease when she sees her man with that pretty, clever medic, Heo Yun-ok.  Before she can turn back, Jang Uk spots her, calls her over.  The greeting from Yan-ok is friendly.  Mu-deok’s response is awkward.  Taking her leave, the poised visitor reminds Jang Uk that Maidservant Kim has invited her to dinner and he has agreed to attend with her. It’s equivalent to being invited to meet the in-laws.  A not impressed Mu-deok turns to leave, muttering under her breath.  It has to be Nak-su whose surly responses to Jang Uk puts him on alert.  His maid, Mu-deok, he knows, would never have the gall to speak to him in that manner.  It’s a situation within his control and easy to fix.  Leaning forward, Jang Uk kisses Mu-deok.  He simply applies her teaching to the situation, he advises her.  Attack when least expected to.  Good job.  Well done.  Nak-su approves. 

Along comes a spider [2] to give credence to the elaborate deception Jin Mu has been hatching.  The trick is to give So-yi the power to enter Jinyowon, where all Daeho artifacts are protected and protected against. Why is not yet clear.  Only the women of the Jin family have the power to open the door to Jinyowon. Jin Woo-tak stealing a blood worm from his own daughter and transferring it to the non-magic So-yi shows how determined all in the ruse are.  Their audacity and cunning appear limitless. There certainly is no compassion for the wife and half-sister who sought help through sorcery to revive her dead child in the womb.  Sadly, the plot works and So-yi is welcomed as the long-lost daughter, first-born, high priestess of the Jin family.

With the guidance of Jin Mu, the interloper, So-yi, plans to take on the best of Daeho and bring them to their knees.   So-yi.  She has allowed herself to be beaten, injured, verbally abused, physically abused, and injected with a worm that will kill her if Jin Mu so wishes.  All to better her position in life.  It’s no different from shifting souls; the life she agrees to claim belongs to someone else.  So-yi’s feigned blindness is key to the act.  But there’s always the possibility of a momentary lapse, or an intentional diversion to save a young man who showed kindness to a stranger. Small in stature, So-yi’s role in bringing the entire house of cards down is huge. 

All those interconnected relationships, authorities, and links to the stone with the energy of the sky, are going to collapse in the hands of the whirlwind that came by boat to hide from those she robbed and to rob the unsuspecting.  The con man, Jin Mu, might have just committed a fatal error in enlisting a con woman as the main ingredient to the stew of destruction he has been stirring for the last twenty years.  A moment is all it takes, the saying goes, and possibly, that moment has arrived for some. 

For others, the moment that arrives is all about romance.  There’s love in the air for the passionate. For the cute.  For the cautious.  Jang Uk loves Mu-deok, and she’s no longer running away or rejecting him.  Park Gang-gu has always loved Jin Cho-yeon; now she realises she feels the same about him.  Park Jin and Maidservant Kim are still circling around one another.  That tune has been playing for years. They need to be left alone to find their way.

The inhabitants of Daeho are living pedestrian lives in their ignorance of the army of soul shifters literally being created in a secret room somewhere in the palace.  Except for Jang Uk and Crown Prince Go Won. They come across one another in a village known for harbouring shamans.  Both initially weary, they nonetheless form an uneasy alliance as they seek to resolve the mystery of Eunuch Kim, the dead then undead royal servant to the queen.  They are hunting in a dodgy part of the village and are aware of the need to keep alert.  Doing so is especially important as the crown prince came unescorted, which in itself is unprecedented for a person of his status.  Jang Uk?  He always does what he wants and pays no mind to the potential dangers he might encounter.  That they are being followed dawns on the detectives simultaneously.  Let’s split up to see which of us is being targeted is not the first thought that comes to mind, but what do I know?  Safety in numbers, perhaps?  It turns out that Jang Uk is the one the poorly dressed stranger is interested in.  They have a brief conversation, during which the man makes known that he is acquainted with Jang Uk’s father. Jang Uk notes and queries about an injury to the man’s hand.  He looks worried that the stranger might be in pain.  That’s effectively all.  The hooded stranger divulges nothing else of value. Oh, yes.  Don’t dig too deeply into sorcery.  It’s a one-way street to ruin.  Jang Uk heads home.

Moving along… It's time to introduce a parade of soul shifters into the drama.  Master Lee decides to poke the bear and bring chaos to the palace.  Nerves are on edge and the queen loses her calm.  She acts like she just wants to protect the king, but Master Lee has seen enough.  Step one accomplished, Master Lee. The holder of the Ice Stone has been identified.  Now get her to expose herself as a soul shifter and implicate Jin Mu for good measure.  It’s a tall order, but it’s also about time to bring the title of the drama into focus. To give it centre stage. Master Lee’s strategy is not without risk.  Not only does he know that Mu-deok is a soul shifter, but he, himself, is inhabiting someone else’s body.  The shifting of his soul -- Master Lee’s that is -- is all down to his supreme magical prowess not sorcery, however. 

Now for step two.  Time to bring the Ice Stone into the open and feed the greed of the king and the Unanimous Assembly, those leaders of the various communities and families, all veteran and masterful mages.  Jin Mu accommodates this through blackmail of his sister, who by now knows her daughter is an imposter.  The queen is already in on the plan.  After all, she controls the Ice Stone.  She also makes the Soul Ejectors, which are surreptitiously passed to Jin Mu to create soul shifters.  Who is chief and who is the second-in-command here is not clear. 

Another council meeting.  This time with the Ice Stone centre stage.  It’s enticingly bright and shiny.  And some of the mages are all but salivating over the prospect of owning it.  It is, however, covetous King’s suggestion that they give the Ice Stone a whirl, a test run, to see it in action that starts the avalanche. A human sacrifice to Ice Stone to witness its power?  Sure.  Let’s use the person of the lowest rank. Mu-deok.  Don’t want to do it?  You’ll get a bit of gold if you are successfully resurrected.  Sure, that will work.  What the...?  Mu-doek has her reasons, however, for accepting the challenge.  Leader of Jinyowon is given the honour of committing murder.  She’ll do it as kindly as possible.  (Yes, please.) Mu-deok gambles that the trial will reinstate her to her former glory with Nak-su’s powers intact, following which heads would roll (at the hands of the Shadow Assassin). (Fingers crossed!)  It is painful, meanwhile, to watch the life of the faithful maid ebb away as her unsuspecting mother strangles her (yes, mother).

Ironically, with all those mages present, it is the hand of the only non-magic person of consequence that brings disaster to the inhabitants of Daeho.  When So-yi uses an umbrella to play baseball with the Ice Stone that is about to enter Mu-deok’s core to revive her, the viewers are already prepared for something to happen.  So-yi causes an uncontrollable collision of the elements within the Ice Stone.  (That’s my interpretation, and I’m sticking with it.)  Chaos ensues.

The Ice Stone storm forms a vortex of fog, a barrier that settles as a shroud over Jeongjingak Training Centre.  Trapped inside the circling and impenetrable body of fog are Jang Uk, Crown Prince Go Won, and several other mages.  They are joined, courtesy of the storm, by Mu-deok and So-yi.  These two travelled like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.[3] Only, this wizard has no definitive shape, or voice, and can’t be reasoned with. 

Ready? Here we go!

Leonora

asiandramaobserver@gmail.com

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

[2] Little Miss Muffet by Mother Goose, 1804. Published by The Poetry Foundation.  Source: The Dorling Kindersley Book of Nursery Rhymes (2000).

[3] Wizard of Oz.  Screenplay by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf. Directed by Victor Fleming.  Distributed by Loew's, Inc. (1939).