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mindmeltonabun-blog · 1 year

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Alchemy of Souls Part 2: Evidence The Soul In Part 2 Was Not The Same Soul From Part 1

Hello Readers,

Thought I should post some more evidence to that what I said in my Theories and Analysis post for Eps 29-30. When I had initially shared a link to my blog post on Reddit, I thought things would have calmed down by now and people would not be so toxic. I also thought there would be more open minded people who would consider alternative arguments. However, I was wrong. Many there did not even choose to read what I wrote and immediately said things like "you are confused" or "you do not understand the show" or implied I was stupid for even proposing such things. If I did not understand the story in the first place then how would I have gotten some many things right during Part 1?

Things progressed to even more people jumping on the bandwagon and hurling more insults at me when all I did in the first place was provide a different prospective on things. It became apparent to me that it was futile to continue to discuss such things with these types of people. What I observed among these people is that they could not fully establish any logical counter argument other than saying Naksu=Cho Yeong. That was pretty much the gist of what they said.

They also accused me of not wanting to be wrong when in reality I do not care if I am right or wrong. I have stated as much repeatedly both here and my Twitter. If I could sit there for hours and debate about my own thinking, they should at least be willing to do the same. In my profession, all we do day in and out is internally debate with ourselves whether our logic is flawed or not. Therefore, I have no qualms about being wrong. At least in my field when we tell someone they are wrong, we provide reasons, examples, etc. You do not simply tell someone just because. If you do so, it just makes you seem like you are the ones who are afraid to be wrong.

What I sought to do here on my blog was to try and make sense of everything, connect things to see the bigger picture, and consider everything there is to possibly consider. When I formulate my theories, I at least explain my reasoning behind it by giving examples from the show. So, if there is anyone who disagrees with all that I will say below then please enlighten me. Provide me with a rational counter argument with examples from the show. Otherwise, if you are unable to, then maybe you should consider that what I say could be correct.

Thinking caps on! Time to do a mini analysis!

More Evidence Proving The Soul In Part 2 is Mu Deok/Cho Yeong

Before I start this section, I want to add that if you want to discover whose soul belongs to whatever face, alternative name, real name, and body, just turn to these three characters: Soi, Jin Mu, and Seo Yul. These characters had known either girls the longest in comparison to other characters (Soi-Mu Deok and Jin Mu and Seo Yul-Naksu).

Now in Ep 26, Soi tells Seo Yul Naksu's soul is in Jin Bu Yeon's body. She adds the current face of Jin Bu Yeon is Naksu's face (GYJ face). Soi's logic was that since the soul inside is Naksu's soul, Jin Bu Yeon's current face must also be that of Naksu's. Side note, this is where assigning souls to alternative names to faces to real identities will get you into trouble.

Flash forward to Ep 29, Seo Yul hears some information which causes fireworks to go off in his head. During the flashback, Soi talks about how the girl she knew from Sari (Mu Deok) had consumed the soul potion which caused her to go crazy and die. What did this mean? Eureka moment, anyone?

It meant Soi thought it was "Mu Deok's soul" who resided in Jin Bu Yeon's body in Part 1. However, we as viewers knew it was actually "Naksu's soul" who was in Jin Bu Yeon's body during Part 1. Since Soi thought it was Mu Deok's soul in Jin Bu Yeon's body in Part 1, she erroneously deduced it was Naksu's soul in Jin Bu Yeon body in Part 2 (Ep 26). Just read that statement again and let it digest before continuing on. It should be noted Soi never found out it was Naksu's soul who was living inside of Jin Bu Yeon's body in Part 1.

It was only after Seo Yul talked to Soi's worker in Ep 29 did he realize Soi had mixed things up and that the soul currently residing in Jin Bu Yeon's body was not the same soul from Part 1 (aka Naksu's soul). If it was not Naksu's soul in Jin Bu Yeon's body, whose soul was it? It was Mu Deok's soul. The question became "what is the real identity of Mu Deok's soul"? There are two choices Cho Yeong or Jin Bu Yeon. If you know the soul inside transforms the face to match its true appearance and the real name of the GYJ face is "Cho Yeong" then you can conclude Mu Deok was Cho Yeong. Therefore, if Mu Deok's soul=Cho Yeong's soul then Naksu's soul=Jin Bu Yeon's soul through the process of elimination. If you said Mu Deok's soul is Jin Bu Yeon's soul then her face would have transformed into the JSM face. However, since it did not, then you have to accept that Mu Deok's soul is Cho Yeong's soul.

The only reason why many did not catch this is because they were too distracted with everything else which is understandable. The Hong Sisters purposely presented this piece of information near the very end (vs beginning) because they wanted people to think Naksu=Cho Yeong. In turn, this caused many to either completely overlooked or disregard the statement made by Soi in Ep 29. If the Hong Sisters had presented the following scene from Ep 29 much earlier, more viewers would have caught on that the soul in Part 2 was not the same soul as in Part 1. And who knows how that might have affected the ratings. Anyways, the pattern among many viewers is when anything becomes confusing or does fit the narrative they have in their head, they will disregard it to soothe themselves into thinking what is easier to comprehend.

In the world of AOS where soul shifting happens, a soul's alternative name can sometimes be different from the real name of the body it is in. The real name of a face does not always mean it is the real name of a soul who had previously resided in that body (AOS has made it clear there is a fine distinction between body and face). I will admit it is convoluted, but this is why you should not immediately jump to conclusions and assign faces, bodies, alternative names, and real names to souls before thinking about everything. If you keep your beliefs flexible and consider the alternative then you will be more likely to find the truth. Instead of being face or body trackers, maybe all of us should strive to be better soul trackers. Anyways, I will gladly welcome anyone who can disprove all that I have stated above. And simply stating "Naksu is Cho Yeong" does not cut it. You should formulate a logical argument that is backed up by evidence from the show.

Final Thoughts

In my opinion, it made no logical sense for the Hong Sisters to introduce Naksu as a powerful soul only to have her be reduced down to a damsel in distress, soul food, relic detector, and Jang Uk's shadow. I saw Naksu's journey as being one of self discovery, personal growth, and enlightenment. If Naksu was really Cho Yeong, the Hong Sisters would have introduced more things about the Cho clan. Instead, they had completely wiped out the Cho clan from the start while placing a heavy focus on the Jin clan. Furthermore, they had associated Naksu with many bird related things to show her connection to the Jin clan. For me, it made more logical sense the show began with her being an assassin fighting on the wrong side of things and ended with her discovering her true authentic self (Jin Bu Yeon) so she could save all of Daeho. And sure, her journey may have ended rather sadly (or it may not since she is a divine soul now), but at least she managed to accomplish so much during that time. She was able to correct everything, find out the real truth about herself and the events that surrounding her multiple deaths, and take responsibility for her past actions.

Finally, to all of those who are not convinced by what I have said (Naksu=Jin Bu Yeon and Mu Deok=Cho Yeong), I will end this post with excepts from Lee Jae Wook's interview so you can decide for yourself of whether the soul in Part 1 was the same soul in Part 2. Note: the translations below were done using Google translate so there may be some inaccuracies.

Source:

Back to hibernation I go until the next great fantasy drama comes along!

P.S. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them!

#alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls light and shadow #jin bu yeon #naksu #cho yeong #jung so min #go yoon jung #jin mu #soi #seo yul #hwang minhyun #AOS #theories #analysis #there are probably many grammatical mistakes #quick post #mu deok #lee jae wook #hong sisters

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forleejehoon · 1 year

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My favorite Jehoon magazine shoots 7/? Vogue 2020 February issue + B cuts Photographed by Kwak Kigon

#up:Magazine #t:Photo #lee je hoon #park jung min #choi wooshik #ahn jae hong #이제훈

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afza147 · 3 months

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Chicken Nuggert short review

Quite disappointed with the ending😔 I wish they could just meet her again (spoiler)

Overall it was a good and so so so funny drama..just the ending not what I expected.

Most funniest scene is this..I just can't stop laughing🤣🤣🤣🤣

And this flashback with the food relationship review..I can't🤣🤣🤣

Overall it was a good and so be melodramatic and funniest kdrama ever🤣🤣🤣

Ratings:

9.8🧆/10🐔

Coz I'm not satisfied the ending I wish for more closure.

#2024 #korean drama #chicken nuggets #short review #the funnies #be melodramatic #funny #good #ahn jae hong #ryu seung ryong #kim yoo jung #choi min ah #ending #dissapointed

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kdramaconfessions · 3 months

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#kdramaconfessions #kdrama #kdrama confession #kdrama confessions #korean drama #drama of the month #park solomon #choi woo shik #son sukku #Jung in sung #Lee ji hoon #Jun jong seo #moon sang min #kim do wan #lee jae wook #lee jun young #hong su zu #Bon A #Jang dae a

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nettlestonenell · 2 years

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The Hong Sisters’ Alchemy of Souls is indisputedly a front-runner in the race for all-time best subversion of an inequal power dynamic. In the past, we’ve seen Corean emperors kowtow to police detectives, magic-endowed mermaids lead wealthy conmen into self-realization, and high-functioning night couriers end up playing hoobae to canny, world-wise paparazzi—but the stroke of genius that decided to cram the rapacious soul of a desperate, abused and isolated, boss-level assassin into the muscle-less, physically weak and [what appeared to be] entirely unmagical body of a blind girl sold to a gisaeng house, and set her directly in the path of the young master of one of the four families of Daeho; equally desperate, abandoned, and in his own way isolated--physically weak and blocked from magic by the man assumed his father--will remain a bar set admirably high.

That Jang Uk is clever enough to puzzle out the who inside of the eyes he’s looking into, that he shrewdly secures a promise of training from the same—that he never wavers in bending his knee toward the magic-wielder within Mu-deok-a’s body—that it is both comical (outwardly) that he is the willing pupil of his own, insignificant maid, and intoxicating (inwardly) that he has found a twin and a master in this likewise outcast soul, should flutter any viewer’s heart, and the necessary machinations of that plot point engage any viewer’s mind.

#alchemy of souls #mu deok #jang uk #hong sisters #kdrama #more like okay:drama #lee jae wook #jung so min #power dynamics #naksu #netflix alchemy of souls #netflix kdrama

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passionforfiction · 5 months

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Dr. Romantic 3

Dr. Romantic never disappoints and this season was something special! I loved seeing my favorite characters once again and the new ones too. Master Kim's dream is about to come true and we are part of the ride.

It is an open ending and the beginning of new dreams for all the staff at the Doldam Hospital.

I loved it!

Poster from Soompi - https://www.soompi.com/article/1581523wpp/han-suk-kyu-ahn-hyo-seop-lee-sung-kyung-and-more-doldam-hospital-staff-are-one-big-happy-family-in-dr-romantic-3-poster

#dr. romantic #dr. romantic 3 #han suk kyu #Ahn Hyo-Seop #Lee Sung-Kyung #Byeon Woo-Min #So Ju-Yeon #Kim Joo-Hun #Yoon Na-Moo #Shin Dong-Wook #Lee Sin-Young #Lee Hong-Nae #Kim Min-Jae #Jin Kyung #korean drama

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spontaneousellipsis · 1 year

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what is context

#dr romantic 3 #romantic doctor teacher kim #kim min jae #lee shin young #lee hong nae #kdrama #kdramaedit #tvedit #gifs #~

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stuff-diary · 6 months

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Night Has Come

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2023

Night Has Come (2023, South Korea)

Director: Im Dae Woong

Writer: Kang Min Ji

Mini-review:

I've been obssesed with the Mafia game for years, so I was really excited when this sort-of-adaptation was announced. But tbh, it's nothing extraordinary. While it's very fun and it keeps you glued to the screen, it's also very silly. What's more, pretty much all the characters are incredibly dumb and frustrating. Although I have to say that's part of what makes the show fun. You just can't help but stick around to see how these characters mess things up even more. Hell, they make so many stupid decisions that I actually found myself screaming at the TV more times than I'd like to admit. Some of the twists did catch me by surprise, but the ending was... not good. I had already guessed the writer would pull something like that, but it was actually worse than I expected. Anyway, Night Has Come isn't good, but I had a fun watching it and it kept me entertained, so that's something.

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mindmeltonabun-blog · 2 years

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Alchemy of Souls: Theories and Analysis for Eps 13-14

Hey fellow readers!

If this is your first time reading my blog, I strongly suggest you read all of my other posts before continuing to read this most recent one. They provide a clearer understanding of why I think something will happen. I know my posts can be rather long, but they do provide a comprehensive view of everything that has happen in AOS. Therefore, I will not be answering questions which I’ve already gone over in previous posts nor questions where the answers can easily be found in the episodes. These types of questions will be ignored.

If you have questions which were not already answered in my posts then please feel free to ask them! I felt that if I had spent a great deal of time in organizing and writing these posts, the least you can do is read them before asking questions. I made these posts to be very detailed because I did not want to have to answer the same questions repeatedly.

On a serious note, I would appreciate it if people would quit taking my ideas and/or theories and passing it off as their own on social media and other blogs. If you want to share my theories, then give me credit for it. Again, I spend a great deal of time on these posts. It takes time to conduct research, re-watch episodes, connect the dots, and think through everything.

Ok……. wooshaaaaa……trying to find my inner peace right now!

Anyways, thinking caps on! Let’s analyze and theorize!

Keys and Reminders

Thought I should include this key just in case you all get confused when I mention certain characters’ names. I’m starting to mix up everything because there are so many names, faces, bodies, and souls lol.

Jin Bu Yeon=Naksu=Jin Bu Yeon/Naksu

Cho Yeong = Mu Deok=Cho Yeong/Mu Deok

The person you see in the show right now is Jin Bu Yeon/Naksu’s soul back in her OG body. Again, Cho Yeong/Mu Deok’s soul went back to her OG body and died. There are no 2 souls/1 body type situation.

How the Hong Sisters Have Created the Perfect Illusion

One of the main themes in AOS is illusions. How do you create an illusion if you were a scriptwriter or director? You can leave out scenes, flash fake memories on the screen, manipulate the order of scenes, include convincing dialogue, etc. This is what the Hong Sisters been doing in AOS, most were just unaware of it. The Hong Sisters did remind everyone through various characters’ dialogue that to see past illusions, you need to read in between the lines.

Most people saw that scene with Soi followed by the scene with the same physical marks on the Mu Deok body as “proof” that Mu Deok is indeed Jin Bu Yeon (well this is Jin Bu Yeon’s body, but most kept getting the soul part wrong lol). Anyways, these same people saw these scenes as another piece of evidence that Mu Deok’s soul is Jin Bu Yeon’s soul and that her soul still resides in the body. Again, these viewers couldn’t see past the illusion the Hong Sisters created. It’s all very surface level thinking.

At the end of Ep 14, the whole being blind, but able to tell when it would snow or rain is just another illusion meant to trick viewers into thinking Mu Deok is Jin Bu Yeon. In actuality, Cho Yeong/Mu Deok’s soul may have been able to do those things because she was swapped with the Ice Stone. There are probably other explanations, but ultimately it has nothing to do with Mu Deok being Jin Bu Yeon. These are just illusions. You should be able to differentiate what is the truth and what is a lie by now. Ignore the illusions and focus on the truth.

What the Hong Sisters have been doing is creating the illusion that Mu Deok is Jin Bu Yeon so that when they drop that bomb that Naksu is Jin Bu Yeon it’s going to shatter your illusion aka blow your mind. Honestly, I’ve grown tired of all these mind games that the Hong Sisters have been playing lol.

More of Jin Mu’s Lies During Jin Bu Yeon’s Brainwashing Is Revealed

I have talked about how the Hong Sisters like to make light of Naksu’s real identity through Jang Uk’s dialogue and this happened again in Ep 13! Naksu was wondering how the constellation ceiling opened. Jang Uk asks Naksu, “Who told you that? Your father?”. Naksu replies, “He said the only way to open the ceiling above the constellation basin is by the energy of a constellation mage”.

Now the Prince recognized the ceiling could only be opened by those who have mastered Chisu which is the truth.

You see, Jin Mu told Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon this lie because he never wanted her to find out her real identity (Jin Bu Yeon). Jin Mu knew Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon would eventually master Chisu and could go to Cheonbugwan to see her constellation. To prevent her from doing that, he told her the little lie about needing the energy of the constellation mage to open the ceiling.

Later in Ep 13, here comes another little piece of info that Jin Mu left out during brainwashing time with Jin Bu Yeon. Maidservant Kim mentioned the names of the constellation mage and his daughter. Notice Naksu’s reaction upon hearing this. She was confused as hell. She was like “Cho Yeong?” ...who's that lol. She tried to soothe herself by telling herself, “That’s my name” like yea that's my name lol. If Naksu was indeed Cho Yeong/Mu Deok, she wouldn’t have that kind of reaction. She’s wouldn’t have any reaction period, but she did which is telling that Naksu is indeed Jin Bu Yeon.

Over and over again, Jin Mu has left out pieces of information (i.e Naksu’s “father” was a soul shifter) as well as lied about many things (i.e needing the energy of constellation mage to open the ceiling) in order to keep Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon in the dark about her real identity so that he could continue to use her to carry out all of his evil plans. He brainwashed Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon pretty severely.

Destroying The Ice Stone

I have told you all that in order to destroy the ice stone, you must have energy that is greater than the Ice Stone. For those who are unaware, the energy of the Ice Stone is the same Hwansu, the Sun, or star. Now, on the day Jin Bu Yeon tried to destroy the Ice Stone, she was unable to because she didn’t have enough energy to (yay looks like I was correct when I said in previous posts Jin Bu Yeon was trying to destroy the Ice Stone). Meaning she only had the energy of the Ice Stone which was not enough. The only way to truly destroy it if you have energy that is greater than the Ice Stone. This fits in line with my theory that the combination of Jin Bu Yeon and Jang Uk’s energies should be more than enough to destroy the Ice Stone. It could also be that Master Lee will add his energy to help those two to destroy the Ice Stone. You need like a lot, and I mean a lot of energy to be able to destroy the Ice Stone. Time for teamwork lol! Uh oh…I feel like Master Lee is going to die.

Connection between Jin Bu Yeon and Naksu

Something worth mentioning is the meaning of Naksu’s name and how it is connected to Jin Bu Yeon. Naksu’s name means “falling water”. What type of precipitation symbolizes “falling water”? Rain. On the day Jin Bu Yeon was last seen with Jin Mu, she was trying to destroy the Ice Stone. Specifically, Jin Bu Yeon was injecting a lot of energy into the Ice Stone to make it rain (please review “The Water Cycle”; post is found at the end of this section). Anyways, the reason why Jin Mu named Jin Bu Yeon, “Naksu”, was because he was naming her after the very thing she was trying to do the day he was with her which was to make falling water/rain happen.

Master Lee

Before I start this section, I just want to pat myself on the back for correctly predicting Master Lee was a soul shifter!! Woohoo!! Celebration! Can’t wait to see if my theory that Master Lee is Seo Gyeong will also come true! Anyways, let’s talk about Master Lee!

Review Of Hwansu, Ice Stone, Fluffy, and Soul Shifting

As you all can probably tell by now, I have no patience for stupidity and laziness. If something has been explicitly stated in the show or I have extensively explained it in my blog, you all should get it by now. The concepts in AOS are not difficult to grasp. It is not rocket science, ok? In my Phd program, there are many students whom I would categorize as smart. To make up for my lack of intelligence, I work hard. I put in 50x the amount of work just to get to where they are. Therefore, I have no sympathy nor patience for stupid people who are lazy. At that point, they’re just plain stupid.

I’ve seen across multiple platforms how people thought Master Lee was bluffing when he said he was a soul shifter (Group #1). Then I also saw people saying how Master Lee was lying about being a soul shifter because Fluffy didn’t bark at him (Group #2). If you are in either group, start rewatching all the episodes and use your brain to think. Put in some work.

This will be the last time I go over simple concepts from AOS. I’ve done my fair share of work.

Let’s review some things:

A. Soul shifting is the process in which you shift your soul into another person’s body and vice versa. It is the equivalent of the fountain of youth.

B. Souls are immortal, bodies are mortal.

C. What does it mean to run wild? It means there’s a gap between the soul and body where energy can leak out.

D. What does Fluffy do? He detects the energy that leaks out from the gap between the soul and body.

E. What is Hwansu? It is the ability to convert water to fire and fire to water. Water and fire are metaphors for souls and bodies respectively. Hwansu allows one to soul shift without running wild.

F. Who has mastered Hwansu? Master Lee.

G. How old is Master Lee? Over a century old. Review Ep 6 and Ep 14.

H. How can one soul shift without running wild? By mastering Hwansu or using the Ice Stone.

Take all of this information and put it all together.

Let’s first look at Group #1. Master Lee wasn’t freaking bluffing when he said he was a soul shifter. How do you think he has remained so young looking? Go back to points A, B, E, F, and G. Why do you think Master Lee offers to teach Jang Uk Hwansu? Just because? No. It’s because he’s already mastered Hwansu. You can’t teach someone something if you have not mastered it. Again, what is Hwansu? Go back to point E.

Why do you think it was stated that Master Lee only wears a hemp robe? It’s because that’s the only way he can be identified since he changes bodies/faces all the time. Imagine if you were a soul shifter, you can change your body/face as many times as you want, and no one could tell it was you unless you wore something consistently. Master Lee could essentially be invisible if he wanted to be. For example, he could easily change to a different body/face and wear a blue robe and no one would be able to tell it was him.

Now let’s look at Group #2. Why doesn’t Fluffy bark at Master Lee? Go to points C, D, E, F, and H. If you’re really that simple minded, let me spell it out for you. Fluffy doesn’t bark at Master Lee because Master Lee has mastered Hwansu. Master Lee doesn’t run wild because there’s no gap between Master Lee’s soul and the body he is in. What does that mean? No freaking energy leaking out for Fluffy to even detect. Therefore, he doesn’t bark at Master Lee.

Jesus Christ.

So, if you know Shaman Choi had used the Ice Stone to soul shift, do you think Fluffy is going to be able to detect her? No. Fluffy will only be able to detect people who have shifted souls using a Soul Ejector. Then what was the point of Master Lee bringing Fluffy? To psyche Shaman Choi out. Master Lee knows very well that the person who has the Ice Stone will not be able to be detected by Fluffy, but he still wants to psyche her out. Why? Read further down in the next section.

Master Lee's Game of Chess and Tug of War

From push and pull to the ebb and flow of water, everything in AOS is about opposing forces (duality). Now with Master Lee vs Shaman Choi/Jin Mu, it’s all one big game of tug of war or chess. In a game of chess, there are two important pieces: the King and Queen. Master Lee has already made up his mind who his King and Queen pieces will be: Jang Uk and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon.

He needs his King and Queen to be at the top of their game so that he can use them to defeat Shaman Choi/Jin Mu. You see, Master Lee has mostly prepared his King (Jang Uk), but his Queen is still a work in progress. She still hasn’t been able to access her powers mostly because she is suffering from a mental block.

Master Lee is aware of Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon’s mental block and knows the only person who can help her bypass her mental block is Jang Uk. This leads me to my next point, why do you think Master Lee had told Jang Uk that story about Seo Yul’s first love? It was because Master Lee was trying to “push” Jang Uk to “pull” Naksu closer to him. Master Lee in an indirect manner was trying get Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon to not repress her feelings anymore. I did mentioned that Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's mental block is a result of suppressed emotions and memories. Side note, I thought it was funny that Jang Uk later uses the same tactic on Park Jin by telling him how Master Lee has been saying at the Jang residence as a way to push Park Jin to confess his feelings to Maidservant Kim lol.

Going back to previous post (“Deep Examination”), I'd mentioned Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon would never be able to fully come out from the shadows because Jin Mu made the whole world hate her. He did so by using her to carry out his evil plan as well as forcing her to become a soul shifter. It’s not easy to change the world’s negative perception of Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon, but Master Lee has been working behind the scenes to do so. It’s like a multistep process!

Think about Master Lee’s conversation with Park Jin in Ep 12. What was Master Lee trying to do? He was trying to change Park Jin’s perception of Naksu. Why? Park Jin has great power (btw I’m not talking about physical power, I’m talk about power in the sense of influence) as the leader of Songrim. Master Lee knows Naksu’s fake identity as "Mu Deok" is about to come out. Therefore Master Lee wanted Park Jin to be understanding so that he doesn’t immediately kill her once he discovers “Mu Deok” is Naksu. Overall, Master Lee was trying to change Park Jin’s negative view of Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon because he wants Park Jin to protect his Queen chess piece until he's ready to use her against Shaman Choi.

So who else’s opinions holds power in the world of AOS beside Park Jin of Songrim? The royals. By revealing himself as a soul shifter, Master Lee is seeking to accomplish three things: 1) Change the negative view people have about soul shifters 2) Change the negative view people have that those with great powers are always bad 3) Pull the person who has the Ice Stone out from the shadows. By accomplishing the first two things, it would allow both Jang Uk and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon to finally come out of the shadows and be judged fairly for who they really are as people and not solely judged by how they may appear to others from the outside (i.e abominations, chaos, monsters, etc).

Furthermore, the notion that those with great powers should consider everything before exacting justice could also be applied to Jang Uk and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. Meaning once Jang Uk and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon fully come into their great powers, they will consider everything before punishing someone. It's like that quote from Batman, "With great power, comes great responsibility".

A brief digression. Look at Master Lee, he has great powers, but he doesn't instantly kill Naksu when he saw her. Why? Because he wanted to consider everything before he decides to kill her or not. He wants to know everything about her before making a judgement. It's like how in our the judiciary system, a judge must consider all the facts and evidence before making a judgement. That's how people with great powers should act like. When you're in a position of great power, jumping to a conclusion just based on what see on the surface is not justice, it's prejudice. This all ties back to one of the main themes of AOS: to not pass judgement only based on what someone looks like on the outside (body; outside), but to pass judgement based on who they are as a person (soul; inside).

Anyways, going back to the the third point, Shaman Choi/Jin Mu had been “pushing” things by “shamelessly” hiding the Ice Stone within the palace walls. In response, Master Lee was trying to “pull” Shaman Choi from the shadows by revealing himself as a soul shifter who can see other soul shifters . Remember it’s all about "push" and "pull" when it comes to fighting/war. How can you pull someone out from the shadows? You rattle them.

Master Lee was not planning on exposing Shaman Choi as a soul shifter, he knows she used the Ice Stone to shift her soul. Rather, he was planning to shake her up by exposing other soul shifters surrounding her (those who used soul ejectors to shift souls). Ever heard of psychological warfare? You know what happens when people start to panic and feel like they’re being backed into a corner? They start to make mistakes; they start to make stupid moves. They essentially expose themselves.

What else could cause the evil duo to panic? The arrival of Jang Gang. From Master Lee’s reveal to Jang Gang’s arrival, these things will ultimately cause the evil duo to lose focus and let their guard down….this is when Master Lee will put into play his King and Queen chess pieces ...aka Jang Uk and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon will attack!

Master Lee sure does have his work cut out for him lol. He has to change the minds of two powerful people ( Park Jin and The Royals) to ensure his King (Jang Uk) and Queen (Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon) chess pieces won't be harmed until Master Lee is ready for them to be used against Shaman Choi/Jin Mu.

Chaos and peace are two sides of the same coin, when the coin is flipped, the world holds its breath to see which side the coin will land on. I’m not a betting person, but I’m pretty sure our power couple will bring peace to Daeho.

How Soul, Energy, and Body Go Together

I think there may be confusion about soul energy and the body work together. To it simply, power/energy is not a feature of the body. Rather it is a feature of the soul. Take for example, the conversation between the King and Jang Gang. The King mentioned how Jang Uk was able to place a soul in a deal body and how it lived for over six months. Let’s think about this for a second. Does a dead body have any energy? No, it doesn’t. What gives a body energy is the soul, it is what gives “life” to a body.

Now with regards to the Ice Stone, people keep confusing what it really does. It is like a soul stone, not a body stone. It’s not going to bring back bodies, okay? So please don’t ask me for the hundredth time if GJY is going to come back for Part 2. This show is about souls, not about bodies.

I know this can be a difficult notion to grasp for many, but keep in mind this is Alchemy of Souls, not Alchemy of Bodies. The body is useless, it is something that can easily be reduced to ashes. The body doesn’t matter, the soul does. This has been repeatedly so many times now, yet people are still turning to the body to make theories. If you did, you truly did not understand the foundation of the show to begin with.

For these reasons, I truly think what happen with Jin Bu Yeon while she was in her Mama Jin’s womb is that Jang Gang used the ice stone to bring back her soul and this act inadvertently infused her soul with the energy of the Ice Stone. This act caused for physical changes to her body (i.e physical blindness). Changes to the inside is reflected on the outside. Inside (soul) -> Outside (body), not Outside (body) -> Inside (soul). What this means is changes to the soul is reflected outwardly in the body.

Since I know you all will ask again how the body of Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon can see now, I will explain it one the last time. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon’s soul had been transformed when Jin Mu switched her soul into Mu Deok/Cho Yeon's body. During the time Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon’s soul was in Mu Deok/Cho Yeon’s Body, her gained more energy through mastering many spells. Therefore, when she returned to her original body, her soul was more powerful than it had previously been. She had accumulated more energy which caused her soul to heal her own eyes. Again, changes to the soul are reflected outwardly in the body.

This connects back to what I had previously said that in order for Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon to fully access her energy/powers, she must unlock her mind. It’s all in her mind. It’s all a mental thing. Or as I like to see it, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon just needs to go see a psychologist! Baby girl is having an epic identity crisis! Anyways, I hope this makes it clear to everyone. This will be the last time I mention this too!

Why Did Fake Daddy Jin Take A Strand of Blood from Cho Yeon?

To inject it or whatever into Soi so she can open the doors to Jinyowon. Recall that blood and energy go together and energy is connected to one’s soul. When you take someone’s blood, you essentially have a small piece of their energy/soul. Their energy (qi) is like DNA lol. So the doors of Jinyowon is locked by like a DNA molecular lock is the way I like to look at it lol. Again, this has nothing to do with the body.

Jang Gang’s 20 yrs Soul-Searching Journey

In my previous posts, I kept mentioning that Jang Gang had gone on a soul-searching journey for the past 20 years, but it finally dawn on me that he was on a LITERAL soul searching journey haha!!! Continue reading below for my theory on what Jang Gang was doing for the past 20 years! This is how I think the events happened for Jang Gang......

Cho Chung was killed. Jin Mu takes Cho Yeong and keeps her in Danhyaggot. Jang Gang seals the Ice Stone and leaves to find Cho Yeong. Many years passed and Jang Gang still has not found Cho Yeong.

Jin Mu takes Jin Bu Yeon to find the Ice Stone that Jang Gang had sealed. Around the same time, Jang Gang hears that Jin Bu Yeon has also gone missing and suspects Jin Mu took her to find the Ice Stone. Jang Gang goes to where he last sealed the Ice Stone to try and find Jin Bu Yeon. Jang Gang finds Jin Bu Yeon, but he realizes that the soul within that body is not Jin Bu Yeon’s, it’s Cho Yeong’s soul. He recognizes that Jin Mu had swapped their souls. What started out as a journey to find 1 soul/1 body now became a journey to find a second soul and body. Damn what a freaking mess lol. Jang Gang made it his mission to find Jin Bu Yeon’s soul (now in Cho Yeong’s body) so that he can return both Cho Yeong’s and Jin Bu Yeon’s souls to their original bodies.

Jang Gang leaves Cho Yeong in an old lady’s care while he goes out to search for Jin Bu Yeon’s soul. Before he leaves Cho Yeong (now in Jin Bu Yeon’s body), he tells her she must change her name to “Mu Deok” to avoid being found by Jin Mu. Jang Gang resumes his search for Jin Bu Yeon’s soul (in Cho Yeong’s body). He ends up searching for many years because it’s like I said, finding a soul is very difficult because their looks/face/body have changed. Jang Gang hears about a powerful assassin named “Naksu” who uses Tansu. Jang Gang knows Jin Bu Yeon’s soul was powerful since he infused her soul with the Ice Stone before she was born. He puts two and two together and realizes “Naksu” must be Jin Bu Yeon’s soul (in Cho Yeong’s body).

Jang Gang had great difficulty catching up to Naksu because she was a shadow assassin. Meanwhile, the old lady who was taking care of Cho Yeong soul (in Jin Bu Yeon’s body) had died. Jang Gang finally manages to find Naksu, but he was too late. He learned she had tried to shift souls before she died. He knows that when the Alchemy of Souls spell is casted for the 2nd time, souls are returned to their original bodies.

Thus, Jang Gang knows Cho Yeong had return to her original body and died. He goes back to Sari village to retrieve Jin Bu Yeon’s soul (now back in her original body). However, he finds out the old lady died and Jin Bu Yeon was sold off to Chwiseonru Courtesan House. He makes his way from Sari village to Songrim. Cue his arrival to Songrim. Talk about fate and coincidences lol. Jang Gang was out searching for many years only to learn that the one of the surviving souls (Jin Bu Yeon) was at his home and hanging around his son.

Anyways, I do wonder if Jang Gang is trying to find Jin Bu Yeon to kill her or return her to her family. Jang Gang might want to kill Jin Bu Yeon because he’s afraid she would run wild since she had been away from her body for too long. We have seen cases where people who return to their bodies do run wild (i.e Gil Ju). I would like to think better of Jang Gang and say he will return her to family. No…but really though…is this how Naksu’s reveal happens? Jang Gang comes back and reveals Naksu is Jin Bu Yeon. This then exposes Soi as an imposter who was placed in Jinyowon by Jin Mu. Once that happens, Jin Mu is going to start scrambling! This would definitely push Shaman Choi and Jin Mu to come out into the open. Boom! The battle for the Ice Stone begins!! Ohhhh I’m liking this theory of mine!

Who Killed Broker Kim?

The most obvious person would be Jin Mu since he did ask Soi if there was anyone else who would recognize her. Then again, the show is not about the obvious lol. Therefore, I think it Jang Gang was the one that killed Broker Kim. Why? Because Jang Gang has been tracking the last surviving soul (Jin Bu Yeon) and he probably wanted to keep Jin Bu Yeon’s identity safe. The piles of dead bodies we see next week is probably a trail of Jang Gang’s movement towards Jin Bu Yeon. Jin Mu did say Jang Gang does not kill so inconspicuously.

Other Thoughts

I felt like this is a scene is foreshadowing Park Jin and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon will have another face-off. I LITERALLY CANNOT WAIT FOR IT!!! I know Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon isn't going to kill Park Jin because that would hurt Jang Uk since he considers Park Jin his father.

Ok I'm done! There's always more I want to write about, but I'm exhausted!

#jung so min #analysis #mu deok #naksu #theories #kdrama #jang uk #lee jae wook #aos #min hyun #Seo Yul #yoo in soo #arin #cho yeon #hwang minhyun #alchemy of souls #jin bu yeon #hong sisters #there's probably grammar mistakes

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binging-asian-dramas · 1 year

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Alchemy of Souls. Season 1-2 7/8

Story: 7

Acting: 10

Chemistry: 6-10

Comparable to: Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (kdrama); Ever Night (cdrama)

Oof this is such a hard one to judge. In some aspects I totally love this and other aspects I wanted to throw my remote at my screen. I was more of a season one was ten times better then then season two type of person. For one thing different female leads. Who in their right minds decides to write out Jung So Min and cast someone different! Don’t get me wrong, Go Young Jung is an okay actress, but when you have already shot 20 episodes of a drama with a character and an actress who had an amazing chemistry with the main lead it’s hard to replace it with someone new. Nevertheless that was strike one for me, strike two was the change of pace of everything, it felt draggy and repetitive, the tired old cliche memory loss trope didn’t help either. I did watch season 2 just with the fast forward button, since season one was amazing and I wanted to see how everything would be wrapped up. Was I disappointed slightly, yeah slightly, but overall it was still not bad, season one left a pretty darn good impression.

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alicenowonderland · 2 years

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THE ALCHEMY OF SOULS 🔮

Yaaah!!! I did not expect it to be that good. Honsetly I watched it at first out of curiousity because Arin (my Oh My Girl bias) is there. From the first episode to the last, we all get excited to watch the new episodes every week and our souls almost shifted when we knew that it will not air for a week. HAHAHA! It is so wonderful to see old and new Korean actors and actresses.

Well here are my thoughts about the Alchemy of Souls.

🌿 Thoughts About The Ep 20 🌿

Super duper cliff hanger!! Like, I have to wait again for MONTHSSS just to see it. But yeah, that is what it is. We have to wait to see the PART 2.

I honestly did not expect it to end it that way because I really thought that the Part 2 of Alchemy of Souls will be a prequel.

Anyway, I am really pissed off with Jin Mu! Argh! Who does not, eh? He got the Crown Prince wrapped around his fingers and even the royal family. He uses their insecurities to fool them. How abusive it is!

I knew it, the Hong Sisters will leave us devastated after they made us laugh. Yah! Learned my lessons from My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, Master’s Sun, Hwayuggi and Hotel del Luna. I can’t believe they did it again! That is why I am very cautious on the first part of the Episode 20 where everyone is happy and no worries, especially the proposal scene of Park Jin to Maidservant Kim. Yaaah! So funny at the same time so kilig! It made me laugh so hard. I love Park Jin and Maidservant Kim’s love story. I laughed to Master Lee for breaking his heart from maybe his forst love. HAHA! A reminder that no matter what age are we in, we can still be in love and find love.

Then comes the annoying and thrilling parts. So-i must die! Sorry chingu, but you are so annoying. Hahaha! Then there is Jin Mu. Ahhh! Really, he is a manipulative sad boy. He wants the Ice Stone for himself and uses people to get it from him because he is that weak.

🌿 THOUGHTS ON OTHER EPISODES 🌿

WHY DOES JANG GANG DIED ALREADY??? After his atolnement for his sins for using ALCHEMY OF SOULS… he just died??? DEAD! After he started it all??? JUST DEAD??? Well I do not know but these are the Hong Sisters, again, they are have this creative minds to twist and turn the events. I really wish he closed Jin Mu’s gate of energy before he killed himself.

I also think Master Seo Gyeong’s reincarnation is Jang Uk since they have the King’s Star and Jin Bu Yeon is the reincarnation of Jin Seol Ran who is the first leader of Jinyowon. I think… that their everlasting love for each other also reincarnated to Jang Uk and Jin Bu Yeon that is why the universe made them attracted to each other because it is their fate.

I really think that JANG GANG is the father of JIN BU YEON since Jin Un Tak says that he is not Bu Yeon’s father and he thank Bu Yeon for bringing him in to the Jin family to marry Lady Jin. So does that mean that Bu Yeon was born before Lady Jin met Jin Un Tak? Is it possible why Jang Gang uses the Ice Stone is to save Jin Bu Yeon his own daughter? These are just my hunch since it is said that Jun Bu Yeon became a powerful priestess because of her being a Jin and a Choi.

I think Joo Wol knows Naksu is the one living in Mu Deok’s body since she most of the time she knows the rumors which some are true. She knows how to think and trust her instincts. Maybe she is Naksu’s friend who helped Naksu but did not know it or Mu Deok’s friend and since Mu Deok is blind she do not know Joo Wol’s appearance.

🌿 Thoughts about the Part 2 🌿

As I have mentioned, I did not expect that the Part 2 will be a sequel. I just thought that it would be a prequel because how can they make it if Jung So Min will not be Naksu/Mu Deok/Bu Yeon? Admit it or not we loved her for those characters and we want her to continue playing that role especially that Jung So Min and Lee Jae Wook has a lovely chemistry. I think because Jung So Min will stick to her Bu Yeon character and we can see at the end that her body is starting to decay for using Alchemy of Souls. It is either Jin Bu Yeon died or Jin Bu Yeon will shift her soul together with Naksu’s soul to the original Naksu.

I do not know but I guess the ladies swimming in the Lake Gyeongcheondaeho who pulled up Bu Yeon’s body is the old Bu Yeon and the young Bu Yeon. As a powerful priestess she always accompanies Naksu. She is like Naksu’s conscience. Maybe she has powers to make her body as a soul.

I really think that Naksu’s original body was not burned since we saw her alive. Maybe some spell made it, maybe it was Yul or Bu Yeon’s powers that saved Naksu’s body.

I hope Seo Yul and Lady Heo will knew that there is a parasite inside Yul’s body and hopefully get it before Yul got killed by it.

I think Jin Mu will know that the worm is inside Yul’s body now since he will find So-i and will kill her. He will use that to control Yul. OH NO!

Lady Jin will do her best to save Bu Yeon’s body so maybe we will see Jung So Min but not that often since she will be placed in the Jinyowon to be healed.

Another guess is that Master Seo Gyeong is the ice stone. Since the ice stone came from heavens and both Master Seo Gyeong and Jang Uk’s powers came from heaven (not in the Lake unlike other mages) they are the ice stone from the very beginning.

I really hope that Master Lee will kill Jin Mu. I do not know it is just that satisfying to see Master Lee killing Jin Mu. Hahaha! Though we all know that Uk will be the one to finish it.

Master Lee will be Jang Uk’s Master for real. Since Jang Uk asks help to Master Lee if Mu Deok gone wild, I guess he will train and help Jang Uk to use well the power of Ice Stone.

The Hong Sisters said that there will be no deaths. BUT I DOUBT. It is the Hong Sisters. Every ending is bittersweet for them.

AHHH! We have to wait four months for the next series. I know all of us are excited. Share your thoughts with me and keep on fan-girling/boying! 🫰🏻 Saranghae!

#kdrama #alchemy of souls #The Alchemy of Souls #thoughts #comments #Netflix #Netflix Korea #Lee Jae Wook #Jung So Min #Hwang Min Hyun #Go Yun Jung #Part 1 #Part 2 #Can’t Wait!#naksu #jin bu yeon #mu deok #Hong Sisters

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