Alchemy of Souls (환혼)

ALCHEMY OF SOULS

Who are you and why are you following me?

I said…

who are you?

Seeing that you recognize this sword,

you must be a mage.

Put down your sword.

It is dangerous to unsheathe a sword of Cheonbugwan here.

This is Gaema Village.

Cheonbugwan mages who patrol for sorcery are considered enemies.

If you get into a fight

and people find out that you are here,

you will not be safe.

It looks as though

you know who I am.

You carry the sword of Cheonbugwan's Gwanju,

so you must be his son.

Does Uk not know what his father looks like?

Are there no portraits of his father like the one here of his mother?

We do not have any portraits of the Gwanju.

Young Master never seemed curious about him.

He only saw his father as a baby, so there is no way he would remember.

He would not recognize his father

even if he were to run into him.

I only followed you because I recognized the sword.

Do you know the owner of this sword?

The man who abandoned that sword was a madman.

His wife had an affair and died.

Then he abandoned his own son and public post and just ran away.

Jang Gang, the man who went mad.

Everyone secretly talks about him,

but no one has ever said that to my face.

Do you hold a grudge against him?

What if I do?

Will you take vengeance on me on behalf of your father?

No.

Even if I am his son, it is not my place.

He would not want that.

Then why do you carry your father's sword?

If I go around denying that he is my father,

it would make my mother

seem too pitiful.

Do-hwa…

Do-hwa was the biggest victim of it all.

Do you also know my mother?

Do-hwa was the most beautiful woman in all of Daeho.

Everyone in Daeho knew who she was.

It seems like everyone in my family is famous for something.

I must say,

I did not expect to run into anyone who recognized me at a place like this.

This is where people secretly practice sorcery

despite it being banned by Songrim.

What is the son of Cheonbugwan's Gwanju doing at a place like this?

Well, I was told I would be able

to witness sorcery such as curses and soul magic.

You are a mage of Jeongjingak,

yet you go around in search of such sorcery?

Not exactly.

I am here to find a shaman who performs such sorcery.

A shaman?

She was a shaman who was very good at soul magic,

which bewitches souls and drives people mad.

She was caught 20 years ago

by the mages of Cheonbugwan and ran away after her house burned down.

What business do you have with Shaman Choi?

How did you know that was Shaman Choi?

By any chance, were you one of the Cheonbugwan mages

who worked with my father?

The Choi family was a family of mages

that was destroyed by Master Seo Gyeong a long time ago.

Your curiosity will put you in danger.

If you become consumed by your curiosity for sorcery,

its darkness will take over your soul,

and you could end up losing everything.

Once that happens,

it will be too late to go back.

Stop looking for those who perform sorcery.

The world does not approve of such things,

and you will never be forgiven.

Wait.

Here.

Are you hurt?

Yes, I am hurt.

I am damaged to the very depths of my soul.

Did he end up that way because of sorcery?

Bu-yeon!

My goodness, Bu-yeon!

Did she just look at me?

I am sorry.

Could you pick up the cane for me?

She is the girl I ran into in front of the house.

Mother!

Mother.

Is she really Bu-yeon?

Yes, she is your sister.

Bu-yeon.

Bu-yeon, let me take you to your room.

You are Jang Uk's maid.

What are you doing here?

I came to help Young Lady Jin run away from home due to her relationship.

But it looks like I just should leave.

I will be off now.

Why was Mu-deok here?

I was sure she did not recognize me.

Should I have just killed her?

Bu-yeon, I left your room untouched.

After all, I knew that this day would come.

Let us go inside.

All your belongings

are still here.

After I almost died when I was washed up in the lake,

I always had to wander, unable to find a proper place to stay.

But now, I have my own room.

I had no idea I had a mother waiting for me to return.

Every day was full of misery and distress.

My poor daughter.

I will make sure you are always happy from now on.

Do not worry.

Mother.

Did Jin Mu really bring home Lady Jin's daughter?

Yes, the girl he brought opened the doors of Jinyowon.

-What? -She opened the doors?

It takes more than a mere trick to open those doors.

They can only be opened by the members of the Jin family.

Does this really mean Jin Bu-yeon has returned?

Why do my eyes hurt like crazy every time I go to Jinyowon?

Is it because of the power of their relics?

Mu-deok, what are you doing here?

Why were you looking in the mirror?

Did you want to look nice for me?

Do not be ridiculous.

Wait.

I want to make myself look nice.

How about you pick something suitable for your young master?

I will pick one myself.

What do you think? Does it suit me?

Yes, sure. You look fabulous.

Of course it would look nice on me.

Let me see.

This looks nice on me too.

This is just too hard. Everything suits me.

What is this?

Give me that. I will doll you up.

Look at you. You look stunning.

It looks like I am all dolled up now.

Now, it is your turn.

Look at how pretty you look, Mu-deok.

How childish of you. I thought you only liked my eyes.

I know, right? I only thought your eyes were pretty.

But your poison must have done a number on me.

Now, you look pretty no matter what.

I see you are trying hard not to love me.

You seem distressed.

Not at all. You could not be more wrong.

If you are going to lie to my face, at least try not to show it.

You are blushing right now.

That is because you put all this blush on my face.

Let me see.

I must have applied too much. It will not come off.

You kind of

look like a drunk dog right now.

You should not glare like that. You look like a dog about to bite.

I might as well just bite you.

I will not bite. Come here.

All right. Stop.

I had to buy this because of you.

Do not use it if you do not need it. I will use it for myself.

This is pretty too.

Mu-deok…

You were almost hit by the wagon.

Mu-deok.

Are you really drunk or something? Did you drink without me?

I had a drink too. How about we have some more together?

I am not drunk.

Were you out drinking?

I went to Gaema Village and someone let me have a drink.

Did you meet Shaman Choi there?

I found a connection between her and Jin Mu.

But I also ran into the Crown Prince there.

The Crown Prince?

His Royal Highness is also suspicious of Jin Mu and the Queen.

Your Royal Highness.

Are you coming back from Gaema Village?

Yes.

The place was like a maze. It was hard to find my way out.

What is it?

-Is there something the matter? -The Assistant Gwanju is here.

Where did you go all by yourself without a single person to escort you?

It is embarrassing enough to be caught after sneaking out. Please let it slide.

I just met His Majesty.

He brought up the King's Star again.

He seems to want it so much.

You should just give him a fake constellation plate with the King's Star.

Then he must find everyone who was born that day

and kill them.

Why?

It could be a hero like Master Seo Gyeong

instead of being a traitor wishing to conspire against the king.

They say Seo Gyeong saved the world with the ice stone.

But that is not true.