Alchemy of Souls season 1, episode recap
The scene opens with a woman attempting her best not to make eye contact with anyone as she strolls through a village. While doing so, she comes upon a destitute family and chooses to feed them, which turns out to be a mistake as the family is attacked by the lady's soul-shifting son. The proceedings are shortly halted by the appearance of Jang Gang, a warrior who uses magic to prepare to take the man's soul despite fervent pleas. A sword is hurled, ending the battle suddenly as the monster starts to channel the might of his own mother.
Geon explains why these monsters end up the way they do before going to the palace to discuss the new magic he is learning in front of the dying king after disposing of the soul shifter's body, which has turned to rock. In order to satisfy his need for a successor, the royal man proposes that "the alchemy of souls" can allow an older person to reside within a younger body. And despite some apprehension due to the fact that such sorcery is prohibited and could result in a collision that results in the formation of an evil spirit, the two ultimately decide to switch bodies for a period of seven days. Following the switch, the king then romantically pursues Do-hwa while in the body of Jang Gang, knowing that any child that could potentially come from this encounter would technically be his.
The history of Daeho, a nation centered on Lake Gyeongcheondaeho and representing the "vast" amount of energy emitted from the sky, is then explained. The location itself does not appear in "history books or maps," but the humans who had the ability to manipulate that energy were known as wizards. Twenty years have passed since the episode's start, and we are still witnessing the "Shadow Assassin" slay wizards and defeat a tiny army by utilizing the enormous amount of energy that governs the region they live in. That is, until their commander, Park Jin, intervenes, acting valiantly enough to cause the target to abandon the situation. Naturally, the assassin is then hunted, but the sword-wielding cohort who chases her fails to do anything more than offer a mild challenge.
The 'Shadow Assassin' makes an effort to have her spirit leave her current body and enter a new one as a result of the circumstance. And while we are aware that the first part was successful, it is still unknown if her soul was successful in finding a new home. We are then brought to Songrim, where Seo Yul enters to look at the blue mark on Naksu's body, who has been assumed dead. The young man decides to focus on the whistle he discovers on her person, evoking thoughts that even if this person was an assassin, she undoubtedly had a backstory. Outside, Park Jin discusses the situation involving the return of a soul shifter and how such a thing could end up killing many people, just like the previous ones.
However, the charming Park Dang-gu is eager to discuss this villain, even if it irritates his uncle, who thinks he ought to be learning spells rather than loitering in pubs and hearing whispers. Though Uk, Jang Gang's disciple, has chosen to conclude his studies at a Buddhist monastery by himself, despite being there for three years, the loudmouth does provide some intriguing information. The brazen apprentice leaves his master stewing in wrath because he thinks he has done everything necessary and that his tutor never intended to teach him spells in the first place. “I will find my own master,” he says, just as we discover that the soul of Naksu has ended up in Mu-deok, a girl who was originally blind but can now see.
Naksu has trouble adjusting to her new body and eventually decides that she will have to temporarily continue to go by the name of the shy Mu-deok, who has recently been sold to a brothel. She hastily tries to retract her statement, but to no effect, lamenting the diminished strength she now possesses while intending to snap a colleague's arm. Fortunately, this coworker does know something about the 'four seasons' of Daeho Fortress, or those who are deemed to be attractive. Cho-yeon, a Jin family member's daughter, possesses the "vitality of spring." Park Dang-gu, the Park family's heir, has the "energy of a blazing summer. There is Seo Yul, a member of the Seo family who is "as noble as the autumn sun." And then there comes Jang Uk, the "as bright as the winter snow" successor of the Jang family. They comprise one of the most well-known mage families collectively.
Naksu declares that once she encounters these four seasons, it will be the end and hopes that they will pass away as "beautifully" as their names. At the same time, Dang-gu arrives at the location to locate someone, a straightforward task that directs him directly to Jang Uk. Here, we learn that the careless man's lack of spell knowledge is a result of his father's blocking of all instruction, which irritates the child who wishes he could at least shatter a crab's shell. Naksu is busy plotting during this talk because she thinks that being blind makes it easier to fool people, but she quickly makes a mistake when another employee discovers her without bandages. As a result, instructions are issued to look for her, which causes the assassin to run once more.
The trickster encounters Jang Uk while trying to flee, and he confronts her before learning that she is Mu-deok. When her eyes are praised, Naksu threatens to behead the Jang family's heir but grows agitated. The ashamed assassin then hastily departs with the present she gave when she left. After that, the swordsmanship technique known as Tansu is revealed, which causes Jang Uk to wonder about the identity of the woman he thinks is Mu-deok.
As we discover that Naksu used to be linked with Seo Yul, she appears deflated. Meanwhile, two men discuss her supposed death together, admitting that they must retrieve the assassin’s body and sword. One of these pairings is her trainer, who states that it is a shame that her fate worked out the way it did. Before long, though, we’re back with Naksu as she gets to grips with the fact that she’s been brought into Jang Uk’s house after being caught as a thief because of his ruse. She is now a servant, expected to serve the man dubbed ‘Young Master,’ in addition to displaying a smile at all times.
Putting on an act as a grateful, indebted servant, Naksu gets tested by Jang Uk, who seems keen to see if he can pick up any clues on her real identity. At first, it’s about upgrading the delivery of water from a drink, to a wash bucket, to running the perfect bath, but even when it expands into food and bedding, it’s all to no avail. Naksu holds out on her challenges, carefully ensuring that her mask does not slip amidst the urge to exact revenge. It does help that she has lost her power, though.
At night, Naksu knows that her way into regaining her powers lies in Jang Uk’s spirit plaque, so she privately vocalizes her wish to take it. Elsewhere, Park Jin discusses that Naksu’s dead body is to remain where it is, for now, as if the soul has managed to find a way to a new body (which it has), then it’ll mean she will have to come back for her sword. During this scene, we also see the detailed backstory to Jang Uk’s lack of spell learning, centered around Park Jin exploiting the fact that he can not open his father’s sword as the reason why he should not be able to have his gate of energy opened. “I will find someone myself. Then I will take out that sword and break it in two,” the young man says, wishing to find a new master.
While Jang Uk is contemplating his life, Naksu allows herself a moment to wonder about the man she is serving before heading to find the spirit plaque. It isn’t a fruitful search, however, as before long, the young master heads into the room and finds the woman in his bed. Though, the only excuse she can think of for being there is that she is attempting to keep the bed warm, a statement that brings out a humorous acceptance from Jang Uk, who claims he just wanted the brazier moved closer when some level of shyness occurs. Meanwhile, Seo Yul discusses the whistle he found on the dead body with Dang-gu, allowing us to discover that he remembers everything from that part of his life.
The ending
In the bedroom, Naksu steals the spirit plaque from Jang Uk while he is sleeping. As it turns out, the young master was faking it, yet he doesn’t appear interested in pursuing the assassin as she heads towards her sword. As all this takes place, the assassins from earlier strike Songrim, leading to a fierce battle between them and the pairing of Seo Yul and Dang-gu. There’s little time to contemplate the consequences afterward, too, as the duo discovers that the training center is burning, so they rush there. Park Jin sees through this, though, realizing that an opening was created for Naksu to strike, a realization that is proved truthful swiftly after.
While discovering why the assassins presented themselves (which was to take the body), Naksu soon has to flee again when she makes a noise that alerts Seo Yul. In the nick of time, Jang Uk appears, ready to help her, while making the surprising revelation that as soon as he saw her, he knew that Naksu was his master. As the two stare into each other’s eyes, the episode ends.
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