Alchemy of Souls 2: Episodes 3-4

Alchemy of Souls 2: Episodes 3-4

by alathe

Marriage is a tricky business when you’re living in the shadow of your husband’s ex-fiancee who stabbed him. Our heroine is beginning to learn the true meaning of emotional unavailability — but soon, our hero will be forced to face up to the trauma he’s buried deep.

EPISODES 3-4 WEECAP

Outrage at the Unanimous Assembly! Things very nearly get violent: as the leaders object to the marriage, Wook — with a glare that proclaims, I object to your face — lashes out with magical force. Mu, whose goal in life is to make every situation worse, demands the couple produce a witness to their vows. Here, Bu-yeon, with a flicker of the old Naksu guile, touches her stomach. Isn’t their unborn child witness enough? Wook, rather resembling a man whacked over the head with a mallet, escorts his new wife home.

When Bu-yeon touches Naksu’s sword, she gets the flash of an old memory — and a corresponding flash from the magic lantern. Wook is elated, but also has a bone to pick. What’s with this witness business? Bu-yeon clutches her stomach, with eyes so profoundly sad that it takes them both a minute to remember the baby is purely hypothetical. However, our heroine’s wicked grin suggests they can easily make fiction reality. Turns out, Wook is as swiftly reduced to a sputtering mess by this iteration of Naksu as he was by the last. Advancing, she reels him into an impulsive kiss. Eyes open, Wook accepts this without a flicker of reciprocation.

A moment later, Bu-yeon’s keeled over on the floor: Ho-gyeong has invoked the summoning thread. Bu-yeon sweats out the night in magical agony, determined not to return home to a cage. More painful still is seeing Wook hover outside her door — then turn away. Little does she know, he’s about to be awesome. Marching straight into Jinyowon, he stops Ho-gyeong mid-ritual, crushing the magical thread beneath his sword’s heel. My wife can’t sleep, he tells his mother-in-law, deadpan. Stop calling.

Later, Bu-yeon seeks him out at another of Daeho’s great date destinations, a.k.a. That Forest Where Your Husband Built a Shrine to His Murderous Ex-Wife Who Is Also You. But in all seriousness, it’s beyond moving when she approaches her own memorial — pulling out the blue egg charm that’s been lovingly placed there. Memories flash unbidden. You take the blue one, Wook once said, a lifetime ago. I’ll take the red.

Meanwhile, So-yi is out living her best life: presiding over a Gaema Village gambling den, drowning her debtors… just regular #girlboss things! But the party ends when Mu’s lackey-of-all-trades, Yeom-su, pays a visit. So-yi’s still reliant on him for the medicine she’s been posting to Yul. As such, when he orders her to kidnap Bu-yeon, she’s bound to comply.

Bu-yeon proves less kidnappable than predicted. In fact, she’s endearingly proud of stalking So-yi back to her lair. So-yi, who’s majored in supervillainy since last we saw her, pumps the room full of sedative — but, Bu-yeon, whose first instinct is generally to fling herself into a nearby body of water, leaps into the drowning tub.

Meanwhile, Yul is scouring Gaema Village for So-yi, whom he’s identified as his anonymous medicine supplier. He arrives to find his best friend’s wife triumphantly spitting out water, soaked to the bone. Such is the strength of his embarrassment-induced directional blindness that they sort of just wander in circles for a bit. Bu-yeon is gleeful. She loves a brainless beauty! Yul, most frequent possessor of probably the only brain cell among the Four Seasons, sputters that she doesn’t understand — he’s read so many books, okay. Cue Bu-yeon’s absolutely iconic reply: As you can see, my beauty is unmatched… but I’m not very bright. Yul does what any reasonable person would do under the circumstances — consigning his Possessor of the One Brain Cell badge to the fires of oblivion, he agrees to be foolish in exchange for the privilege of hanging out with her.

Meanwhile, our heroine’s other erstwhile suitor is on the move. Prince Won has heard some worrying things about his mother: granted, the years she spent in captivity would have turned anyone a little funny, but her coping mechanism appears to be terrorizing the palace maids. Her latest trick has been to hand out foundation powder that dries up the skin. The only solution, decides Won, is to flee the palace dressed as a eunuch and investigate Daeho’s makeup stalls!

Here, he encounters a dispirited Bu-yeon, who is pondering how much rouge it would take to make Wook love her. (Little does she know, the last time she wore rouge, he was head over heels.) She’s soon distracted by a turtle the merchant intends to kill for cosmetics. She demands that Won buy it at once. Look — it’s watching him! It already loves him! Besides, as a eunuch, he can’t have children, so he might as well have a turtle. Won, imperiously lifting his chin, announces himself as Go from the royal palace… to Bu-yeon’s blank incomprehension. Royal genealogy wasn’t exactly on the curriculum in the family prison cell.

Elsewhere, Wook is subjected to more of Jin’s cooking — with a side dish of loving emotional intervention. It’s time to talk about Mu-deok. Jin has tried to let Wook grieve in peace, but he hasn’t so much as allowed himself to visit where she died. Before he decides to join her in death, he must face up to what happened. Afterwards, Wook seals himself up in Jeongjingak — waiting, remembering, and steadfastly refusing to cry. His wife waits at home, anxiously anticipating his return.

Eventually, Bu-yeon puts her foot down: on Do-joo’s advice, she decides to find him. However, a visiting Yun-ok has other ideas. She’s bitterly insistent that Wook won’t appreciate guests. Cruelly, she adds that if Bu-yeon wants to understand why no one believed she was Wook’s bride, she ought to channel energy into the jade egg she carries. Then, she’ll see.

The look on Wook’s face when his egg begins to glow splits my heart in two. Breathless and disbelieving, he sprints towards the forest. When Bu-yeon turns to face him, he is crestfallen. She looks at him with anguish. You and I, she says, have liked each other for a long time.

Wook’s reaction is fierce — he seizes her by the wrist and demands she explain. Bu-yeon falters. Her powers must be allowing her to access someone else’s memories through the jade. However, when she moves to replace it, the memorial stones topple, seemingly of their own accord. Humiliated, she scrabbles to stack them back up. Wook tells her to keep the jade. After all, he’s desperate to find out what Naksu was thinking before she died — and callous enough in his grief that he doesn’t care if she knows it. Later, though, after Bu-yeon spends hours hefting rocks and ineffectually kicking her new romantic rival, the stone tower, he recalls himself. Watching from the shadows, he sends fireflies to guide Bu-yeon home.

Elsewhere, Won welcomes the new responsibility of turtle parenthood. (It’s very advanced for its species, he assures Eunuch Oh.) He also plans to sneak out to Chwiseonru and drink cinnamon wine — though, if this has anything to do with the anniversary of a certain assassin’s death, that’s between him and his jaunty new eunuch’s hat. Soon, he encounters Bu-yeon again, teasing her about the turtle’s fate. He has better pets, you know. A peacock! And a white horse! Bu-yeon nods, dejected. She can’t blame someone for rejecting a — a turtle. Not if there’s someone — erm, some other animal in the picture. Won, taking pity, assures her that his new charge, the turtle, is clever and cute. Boy, is the poor guy in for a shock when he learns whose wife he’s been flirting with.

There’s more heartbreak in store for Bu-yeon, who has a masochistic lunch date with Ju-wol in which she learns the gory details of Wook and Naksu’s grand romance. As Ju-wol reminisces about how Naksu always brought Wook honey biscuits, Bu-yeon grabs a handful. Without breaking eye contact, she crams them into her mouth. Later, she runs into Yul, who steers her away from the sleezy attentions of his uncle, Yoon-oh. As they chat about pine pollen snacks, Yul experiences a very pressing sense of deja vu.

Meanwhile, Daeho is ablaze with panic: the anniversary of Naksu’s death fast approaches, and witnesses have reported seeing her return to slaughter a boat of civilians. Gaema Village’s economy is presumably thriving; protective charms are selling like hotcakes amid the furore. The king summons Wook, demanding that he hunt and kill his former lover. Of course, as Mu gloats privately to an uncomfortable Won, it’s all an illusion he orchestrated. Just the prospect of Naksu’s return is enough to put Wook in an agonizing position.

The queen has her own scheme — she’s organizing a banquet for the ladies of Daeho, to distract them from the great Naksu scare. Beforehand, Jin has a stern chat with Wook. Word on the street is that his bride is “Naksu’s” first target. Bu-yeon told Jin she wanted to protect Wook — it’s time for Wook to step up and look after her too. Meanwhile, Do-joo is having an glorious time wrapping Bu-yeon in ribbons and silks. Wook, walking in on his wife in party clothes, seems anything but indifferent. She looks pretty, he says. That is — her outfit does. He examines her hand. She should get Do-joo to trim her nails; Bu-yeon is precious. That is, uh. Her nails are.

Bu-yeon, sensing her advantage, declares her intention to brag about how well they’re getting along. She’ll wear his family crest. She’ll boast — that he lit up a path for her late at night. Wook smiles. Go ahead. Later, Do-joo trims her nails. Wrapping the clippings in cloth, Do-joo hands them over to Jin, who leans in close and tells her she looks beautiful in her party clothes. (Those aren’t actually her party clothes. Points for effort, though.) Afterwards, Jin attends an unlikely meeting with Ho-gyeong. Songrim and Jinyowon have always been at odds. However, right now, their priorities align.

At the banquet, Do-joo announces that Wook has arranged for fireworks to light up the sky for his wife. Smiling, she nudges Bu-yeon in the direction of the gardens. Sure enough — Wook is waiting. Naksu will show up soon, he tells her. I’m sorry, but now you must die.

Naturally, it’s the prelude to a creative scheme! As Bu-yeon watches the dancing, one of the musicians draws out a sword. Stone spreads across her face; she plunges towards Bu-yeon, piercing her through the heart. Cho-yeon rushes towards her sister, and Bu-yeon — dissolves into shadow and light. Onlookers gasp. The real Bu-yeon walks forth. The Bu-yeon who was stabbed was actually Gwiseo, a body double from Jinyowon, created using her nail clippings. Ho-gyeong came through after all.

The soul-shifter, meanwhile, is quickly dispatched by Wook — on Daeho’s patented Bridge of Heartbreak, no less. Naksu is gone for good, Wook tells the king. Perhaps it will bring him peace. As for Wook? Peace is a distant memory. Still, he’s trying. For the first time, he visits the cliff overlooking the lake, looking at where Naksu fell. He breathes, remembers, and still can’t cry.

Bu-yeon can’t stop thinking about how Wook wanted Naksu to rest in peace. Then, she remembers that Wook used the power of the ice stone — wraiths will be swarming him tonight. In his room, Wook sits. Drinks. Remembers. He hears a woman call his name. Hazily, he peers at Naksu, or — no. At Bu-yeon. She cups his cheek and asks if he’s all right. I couldn’t cry, says Wook, as tears trickle down his cheek. It felt like I was abandoning you.

Bu-yeon envelopes him in her arms. Taking him to bed, she holds him as he sleeps against her shoulder. Wook stirs to the feeling of her hand against his cheek. He lifts his head — and kisses her.

Folks. FOLKS. I am breathless with emotion. Every time I think about Wook, I am undone. It hurts because I don’t want him to heal. I want him to be loyal past the brink of death. It hurts because I want him to love Naksu no matter what form she takes. It hurts because I do want him to heal. And he’s beginning to, and that part hurts as well. Lee Jae-wook is doing a stunning job of portraying the kind of grief that eclipses you utterly. Still, he’s beginning to peer into the light. It’s clear when he misses Yul, or when he lets Do-joo take care of him — or when he smiles as he calls Bu-yeon pretty.

As for Bu-yeon — I am in awe. Jung So-min’s sardonic expressions were the stuff of legends, but Go Yoon-jung has introduced pouts to Naksu’s repertoire that could stop your heart. I love her resourcefulness; it’s different to Mu-deok’s, but there’s a gorgeously stubborn streak running through both. I love that she isn’t just a more innocent version of Naksu: she has her own difficult history, and she’s just as unaccustomed as Mu-deok was to being free. She’s learning who she wants to be. And if that person is a woman of unparalleled beauty who happens to be not too bright? I love her all the same. Wook now needs to figure out if he does too — and I’m sure it’ll hurt in all the best ways.

 
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Alchemy of Souls 2: Episodes 3-4
Source: Buzz Pinay Daily