The Hong Sisters have a tendency to reinterpret history, legends and fairy tales for their dramas. I believe the Hong Sisters were inspired by the legend of Bihyung-rang for Jang Wook's character. Bihyung-rang was a Silla man who was born from the union between King Jinji and a lady named Dohwanyeo (Jang Wook's mother is also named Dohwa). Dohwa was the most beautiful woman of the kingdom, and King Jinji wanted to have her. Yet Dohwa was already married, and she refused to have two husbands (which was unexpected of her because I read that married women in Silla could become concubines to royals). So the king asked if she would serve him if her husband died, and she said yes. A few years later, King Jinji died after being dethroned for his licentiousness, and Dohwa became a widow. It is assumed that the ghost of King Jinji could not forget Dohwa's promise, so he went to her house and Dohwa slept with him because he was the king. He spent one week with her, just like the King of Daeho asked Jang Wook. King Jinji sired Bihyung-rang during his affair with Dohwa, subsequently Bihyung-rang was considered to have a ghost father. Jinji's successor, Jinpyeong, was very fascinated about the boy, thus he got him to be raised in the palace and gave him a royal post when he came of age.
In terms of personality, Bihyung-rang was considered to be crafty and could talk to ghosts and command them. I was thinking that the former trait is also present in Jang Wook in the way he quickly pieced up Naksu's identity and how he tracked her down :)
This stuff should become clear later on, but as per the webtoon, these women can see other people's future by…
Oh so did the female shaman from the Joseon Era kept the self-reproduction a secret from the King? I was confused by the bedding scene because I read that in the webtoon Seulbi was conceived without a male parent like her ancestors. The scriptwriter should have clarified on the circumstances of being bound to a seer because it made Chairman Seon look out of his senses, even though he is the paranoid sort XD
The first episode is very cringeworthy and cheesy but I shouldn't be complaining about that since it's expected…
I liked it overall yet the fast-pacing was a bit jarring. I mean, usually we get to this kind of progression by episode 4 when the characters, setting and challenge are fleshed out. I feel like there were some points which could have been more developed if it were given more time.
The latest teasers show Naksoo is a wanted criminal and being pursued, and one of the people who want to capture her is Park Jin (Yoo Joonsang). She manages to evade them through hwahonsul (according to the dictionary, it's "resurrection", but it looks more like body possession). She ends up in the body of Mudeokyi who was purchased by Jang Wook from a courtesan house. It looks like Naksoo wants to return to her former life because she wants to find her sword, and Park Jin also knows it's the way to track her down.
There's a new poster with the leads! It comes with a message that says: "You're the only person who's allowed to come this close to me". *swoon* I like the reversal of power roles from the last poster.
I just got the most random idea that "Alchemy of Souls" is like "You're Beautiful" (Hong Sisters' boy group drama) set in a fantastical land with magic. I mean, we have: -three handsome young guys with similar attitudes & hair colors (I wonder if Park Danggu's hair color is an homage to Jeremy's) -heroine with a double identity -the male lead and the 2nd male lead had caught up to her real identity -birth secrets
Next thing we know the guys are also in a group called "CHEON.IN" 😆
So is Nak-soo a soul that can posses bodies and now it possess Mu Deok Yi body ( meaning Nak-soo and Mu Deok Yi…
Naksoo possessed Mudeokyi. The thing I'm confused about is that the characters are saying that she "resurrected" herself through magic, but she seemed alive when she was casting the spell, and later we see that she didn't expect to wake up in Mudeokyi's body. So I guess that either she didn't know the manner in which she'll be brought back to life, or she didn't choose Mudeokyi to be her host.
-Nak-soo, the soul in Mudeokyi's body, is a wandering killer (and I have a feeling she has a birth secret as well because it's said the Jin Clan's leader lost her eldest daughter, and "Nak-soo" is not her real name, it's an alias inspired by her fearsome reputation).
-According to the character relationships' chart, Seo Yul had a past connection with Nak-soo (so I guess this means she's his "mysterious girl").
-Crown Prince Go Won's father was not originally the heir to the throne -- he succeeded his brother because the latter had no offspring. The fact he was not the direct successor makes him anxious about preserving his power (so maybe his fears will provide the seeds to the future conflict?).
-It's said the previous king (Go Won's uncle) made a secret proposal to Jang Wook's father at his deathbed (ooh royal conspiracy!)
-The Jin Clan (family of Arin's character) is a matriarchal clan, and they are entrusted with the duty of preserving the magical artifacts of Daeho Kingdom.
-I think the villain of the story is Jin Mu (played by Jo Jae-yoon) who's the half-brother of the Jin Clan leader. He's described as an ambitious character, and he's the vice director of Cheonbugwan, a royal branch which is in charge of observing and recording mysterious sightings in the sky. He also mastered forbidden dark magic.
-Lol the relationship tie between Mudeokyi and Crown Prince Go Won is indicated as "Pile of Poop(?)" and "Petty Crown Prince" XD
The highlights of the 2nd teaser: Mudeokyi: "You call me Teacher when you whine, but you're Young Master when you boss me around." Jang Wook: "Teacher, don't cheat on me!" XDDD
I get that this is a fantasy fusion drama, so the hairstylists and make-up artists took liberties, but Arin's looks are not exactly... good. They don't make her the "glamorous beauty" per her character description, they have the opposite effect. And the eyeliner... I need to get more used to it.
In terms of personality, Bihyung-rang was considered to be crafty and could talk to ghosts and command them. I was thinking that the former trait is also present in Jang Wook in the way he quickly pieced up Naksu's identity and how he tracked her down :)
-three handsome young guys with similar attitudes & hair colors (I wonder if Park Danggu's hair color is an homage to Jeremy's)
-heroine with a double identity
-the male lead and the 2nd male lead had caught up to her real identity
-birth secrets
Next thing we know the guys are also in a group called "CHEON.IN" 😆
-Nak-soo, the soul in Mudeokyi's body, is a wandering killer (and I have a feeling she has a birth secret as well because it's said the Jin Clan's leader lost her eldest daughter, and "Nak-soo" is not her real name, it's an alias inspired by her fearsome reputation).
-According to the character relationships' chart, Seo Yul had a past connection with Nak-soo (so I guess this means she's his "mysterious girl").
-Crown Prince Go Won's father was not originally the heir to the throne -- he succeeded his brother because the latter had no offspring. The fact he was not the direct successor makes him anxious about preserving his power (so maybe his fears will provide the seeds to the future conflict?).
-It's said the previous king (Go Won's uncle) made a secret proposal to Jang Wook's father at his deathbed (ooh royal conspiracy!)
-The Jin Clan (family of Arin's character) is a matriarchal clan, and they are entrusted with the duty of preserving the magical artifacts of Daeho Kingdom.
-I think the villain of the story is Jin Mu (played by Jo Jae-yoon) who's the half-brother of the Jin Clan leader. He's described as an ambitious character, and he's the vice director of Cheonbugwan, a royal branch which is in charge of observing and recording mysterious sightings in the sky. He also mastered forbidden dark magic.
-Lol the relationship tie between Mudeokyi and Crown Prince Go Won is indicated as "Pile of Poop(?)" and "Petty Crown Prince" XD
Mudeokyi: "You call me Teacher when you whine, but you're Young Master when you boss me around."
Jang Wook: "Teacher, don't cheat on me!" XDDD