Summary
A much improved chapter packed with detailed plot development, conflict and excitement.
We recap the Netflix K-Drama Alchemy of Souls season 1, episode 7, which contains spoilers.
Recaps, news, and reviews for Alchemy of Souls.
We begin with an explanation on a drought which once rocked Daeho, causing Lake Gyeongcheondaeho to dry up to the point mages had to perform a ritual to refill it with energy. When they did so, hailstones fell from the sky, apart from one, which when unmelted turned into fire, then stone, then water, before returning to ice. “In that process, it produced black powder,” we’re told, powder known as the Soul Ejector (used in the alchemy of souls).
Next, we see a representation of how powerful this powder is, with its abilities to bring the dead back to life by summoning back their souls, shift souls from one body to another, or expel the soul of a living person by stealing their energy. “Eventually, that boundless power ended up causing chaos,” we hear as scenes of the battle of mages continue to play. Eventually, the conflict is ended by Master Seo Gyeong, the founder of Songrim, who possessed the Soul Ejector.
Alchemy of Souls season 1, episode 7 recap
In the present, this story is being regaled by Master Lee, who is fascinating children with the tale on a ship. There, he collects a relic “cursed with sorcery” from a child, and ensures that it ceases to exist, surprising the kids once more who are aware of the peculiar items “made with the power of the ice stone” in Jinyowon. “They sit there waiting for an opportunity to come out into the world again,” the Master explains, as we cut to the Crown Prince.
Reflecting on the rejection he faced from Mu-deok, the young royal is frustrated, vocalising his annoyance at her lack of gratefulness. “That impudent girl,” he says, believing that her filth must have gotten on him because of the stench of cinnamon emerging from the drink on his table. As he continues airing his grievances to himself, the assassin appears in front of him, knowing that he has been thinking of her. The strange actions of Mu-deok do not manage to avoid suspicions though, as before long the Crown Prince asks who this person in front of him is because there is a distinct lack of “filth.”
Knowing she has been caught, the possessed Mu-deok disappears back into the mirror, leaving the Crown Price entirely shocked. So he instructs his servants to search for whatever had entered the palace, wondering why it looked like the woman he has an interesting relationship with. This then leads into the ending of the last episode, with the the four seasons of Daeho called to Jinyowon to discuss the missing maid. We also see the false accusation Cho-yeon levelled at Mu-deok over the broken yin-and-yang jade, allowing for the servant to be locked up in the annex. The Crown Prince is unsure that such a “bold” person would get scared enough to flee, though, only to end up further confused by the sudden appearance of Seo Yul and Dang-gu, who are also looking for the in-demand former assassin.
After a stuttered explanation on why Cho-yeon decided not to craft the wedding rings, in addition to Yul’s admission that he too saw the same illusion as the royal sat before them (although his is based around the fact that he longed for his former love interest), Jang Uk arrives, confused. Elsewhere, Park Jin talks about Master Lee’s exit with Heo Yeom, as well as the ice stone’s apparently unknown location. It’s because the leader of Songrim believes that the item has been unsealed to aid in the use of the alchemy of souls, meaning that the energy will have been brought back into the world again. “We cannot let the disaster from 200 years ago repeat itself,” Park Jin adds, knowing that they must find the ice stone.
As this is happening, Jin Mu receives a delivery in his secret room, smirking at the idea of shifting another person’s soul. Though the recipient of this deed is not too keen, swearing to himself that he did not serve Danju “just to shift my soul into a eunuch’s body.” Instead, he plans on using Naksu. Meanwhile, Jang Uk takes responsibility and apologises for Mu-deok’s alleged wrongdoings, acknowledging the disappointment that must be felt about the yin-and-yang jade being broken as Maidservant Kim swears to find a more valuable one that can be used for the wedding rings. With that out of the way, the group are dismissed, but Jang Uk remains adamant that he will stay to look for his maid in Jinyowon, “where relics and artefacts reside.” Such a declaration ignites shock from the others gathered around, yet they all end up pulling together to ensure that the door to Jinyowon is opened after some insistence that an illusion disguised as Mu-deok was indeed seen by more than one person.
Understanding the risks of potential possession, a trio of Seo Yul, Jang Uk and the Crown Prince head inside, ready to search for the person they are all linked to in differing ways. But the investigation is initially ham-fisted, with a petty argument about the treasures leading to all three of the men becoming startled enough to somewhat lose their bearings. As their work continues, we cut to Mu-deok inside of the mirror, flanked by her illusions. Not knowing how she got to where she is, the assassin admits that Lady Jin should not have been provoked (a flashback shows her taunting the potential bride-to-be over the of the truth behind the breaking of the yin-and-yang jade), before we see that Naksu was able to easily enter Jinyowon, much to the surprise of Cho-yeon. Now, we see both Lady Jin’s closing of the door to enter the place where relics reside, and the mirror’s entrapment of a curious Mu-deok, who had reached out to touch it.
When trying to escape, the illusions tease Mu-deok, laughing at her fruitless attempts to exit the mirror. Concurrently, Lady Jin worries that her foe may have passed away, while a teary-eyed Dang-gu notices the sound of the apparently missing jade hidden within her clothing. At that time, another petty argument erupts between the three looking for the maid, this time over who got to see her illusion. They do, however, discover the potential cause of the strange appearances amidst the bickering, which leads the trio to the very mirror that has captured their friend.
Outside, this information is fed back to the leader of Jinyowon, who immediately knows that Mu-deok has ended up entrapped by the “Mirror of Longing,” a relic which creates illusions by using other mirrors to show people what, or who, people long for. Though she does deny the request to have the mirror taken outside, citing the fact that nobody knows what would happen as the reason. The leader also uses the plaque granted to protect Jinyowon to defy the royal order given, ensuring that her way stays the way, even if it could mean that Jang Uk remains inside the door forever. When Lady Jin talks about the “found” yin-and-yang jade, things still remain unchanged, before we cut to the struggling young master unable to rescue the person he cares about so deeply.
Claiming to be a reflection of his true self, the illusion gets under the skin of Jang Uk, who begins to believe that all people see are their own apparitions of people. This mirror claims to turn into what people want to see most so they can be shown it, then goes on to request the energy of the young master so that he can be turned into the “most perfect version” of himself. That is until Jang Uk has a moment of clarity, realising that the reflection is needed for a mirror to be useful, and covers the relic with a cloak. The act burns down the illusions within the mirror, allowing for Mu-deok to be found unobstructed.
Outside, things get a little more tense, with Park Jin arriving to declare that he will free Mu-deok himself should he need to, alongside his request that the door to Jinyowon is opened for him. But it isn’t, and so Seo Yul is sent in to retrieve Jang Uk as his allocated time within the door has ran out. Meanwhile, the young master opens up about his ambitions to become Cheonbugwan’s gwanju, and install Mu-deok as assistant gwanju, so that she can be kept by his side. He continues by saying that he misses his teacher, wishing to keep her around despite her true soul-shifting identity.
When other relics become aware of the appearance of Mu-deok, the glass in the mirror shatters, opening the door to Jinyowon where we see Jang Uk carrying his maid out on his back. Then, after the group checks on the young master’s status, we move forward to Cho-yeon’s admittance of guilt regarding her multiple wrongdoings, with both the Crown Prince and Park Jin agreeing to play their part in keeping things quiet to save face.
As it turns out, Mu-deok is now blinded by the light from the ‘Mirror of Longing’, so must wear a bandage around her eyes in the same vein as the woman she inherited the body from. Though although she can’t see, the maid realises she is the centre of attention upon hearing the voices of the Crown Prince, Dang-gu, Seo Yul and Jang Uk, who are all attempting to check up on/collect her. It’s her pupil who succeeds in taking her away, however, before we see Park Jin admit that he is unsure whether the wedding between half of the four seasons will go ahead. There’s then a sweet back-and-forth between the leader of Songrim and Maidservant Kim, one which shows their unconventional affection towards each other.
After a dressing down from Park Jin, Jang Uk reminds his father-like figure that he should not be seen as pathetic, and that he has tried so hard in life to be something other than an illusion. But Songrim’s leader values safety instead, even if the young mage is going to persist on figuring himself out.
The next day, Mu-deok is able to see, and talks with Jang Uk over whether she was in fact saved, or if she broke out herself. However, it quickly devolves into a petty squabble about sacrifice, and then a vague tease about whether or not the supposed wedding will go ahead. The next scene shows the cracks in the plans start to appear more vividly, with Jang Uk subtly confessing that he is not the son of Jang Gang to his prospective mother-in-law after she talks of a “marriage of convenience.” Following that, the young master has a rather innocent meeting with a curious Jin Mu, who has arrived to discuss the Jin family matters in disagreement with the proposals brought forward. “I detest you,” the leader of Jinyowon says in response to why the shady character has been excluded from the decision-making process, drawing ire from the man who believes he can offer a man greater than Jang Uk for her daughter to become involved with: the Crown Prince.
Offering his help to find Bu-yeon, and make Cho-yeon become the queen, there is soon some wavering about the potential marriage involving Jang Uk, but a resolution is not yet seen, as we immediately cut to a curious Dang-gu wondering why his friend was thinking about Mu-deok. Yet what starts as an innocent scene quickly turns into something more revelatory, as Seo Yul follows the familiar sound of a bird whistle to find his former love interest playing it, helping him realise that the woman he currently knows as a maid is in fact Naksu.
Before long, Naksu is cornered by Jin-mu’s right-hand man, who is well aware of her true identity. It makes the next scene, one which sees the maid wish to take her pupil to an empty temple upon the request of Kil Joo, more impactful, as it becomes clear that Mu-deok is willing to sacrifice the life of someone close to her to live. Or at least it seems that way in the beginning, as Naksu wavers enough when the gift of a yin-and-yang bird egg is given that she tries to end the relationship she has with Jang Uk early so he is protected. Coming clean about the fact she is supposed to return to where she came from, the assassin dismisses any request of sticking around, explaining that it will result in the death of the young master.
When Park Jin flusters Jin Mu about a mage named Cho Chung, we see Heo Yeom explain the history of the man who is Naksu’s father. He was a soul shifter who killed his entire family, and was dangerous enough for the four families of Daeho to have to unite to prevent any further damage. “In the eyes of a child, we probably seemed like murderers for having killed her father,” the elder mage says, understanding why Naksu became a villainous assassin. Such a description is enough to prevent Seo Yul from adding in the fact that this person is current living as Mu-deok, while we see that Park Jin has openly accused his adversary of taking in Naksu to train her as an assassin.
Instead of any confessions though, Jin Mu instead shows Park Jin a constellation plate from the day Jang Uk was born, adding in the fact that he is well aware of the King’s Star (there’s also a tidbit that Cho Chung’s life as a soul shifter may have had something to do with Jang Gang). As a result, Songrim’s leader becomes curious, only to be warned that staying silent is the sole way he can protect his people. Meanwhile, we see that Kil joo had planned to swap souls with Jang Uk.
The Ending
As Park Jin pushes Maidservant Kim to tell him whether Jang Gang had performed the alchemy of souls, we see that Mu-deok had fooled Kil Joo into waiting around so she can check whether he has genuinely kept her identity a secret. A conflict then occurs, one which sees Jang Uk defend his master in a sword-fight against the assassin in between a flashback which shows the two allies come to an agreement about their future based around the rainy conditions. When the fight hits its climax, the weakened young master backs up outside the temple, takes off his binding ring, and uses Tansu to knock down Kil Joo. However, the assassin has one last trick ready, as he harnesses the alchemy of souls in a bid to control the energy in the way he desires. And, as Kil Joo gets ready to shift souls, the episode ends.
