Alchemy of Souls (환혼) is a 2022 Korean fantasy drama that is set in the imaginary world of Daeho. The story revolves around young magicians who are to carry the burden of the past. Starring Lee Jae-wook, Jung So-min, and Hwang Min-hyun, the show premiered on tvN on Jun 18, 2022. The show will have 20 episodes and it takes over tvN’s Saturday-Sunday 9 PM KST timeslot previously occupied by Our Blues. Alchemy of Souls episode 3 has a runtime of 75 minutes.
Netflix describes the series as:
A POWERFUL SORCERESS IN A BLIND WOMAN’S BODY ENCOUNTERS A MAN FROM A PRESTIGIOUS FAMILY, WHO WANTS HER HELP TO CHANGE HIS DESTINY.
-Alchemy of Souls Episode 3 Recap contains spoilers-
Another episode and another memory of the past, Alchemy of Souls episode 3 has got us another fulfilling episode that was worth the wait. The episode starts off with Park Jin questioning Jang Kang about Jang Uk’s parentage and the reason behind blocking his energy gates. To this, Jang Kang tells him that he is doing this to protect the child.
The scene shifts Jang Uk supporting Mu-deok when he meets Park Jin and apologizes to him. He takes the blame for poisoning himself and asks him for permission to take Mu-deok to Sejukwon to see to her injuries. Seeing his attitude, Park Jin loses his temper but Seo Yul and Park Dang-gu try to calm him and request him to let the two get treatment. Upon getting his permission, Jang Uk tries to help up Mu-deok but sees the blue mark showing up in her eyes. He tries to hide her eyes from the rest and asks housekeeper Kim to carry Mu-deok on her back. The group soon leaves for Sejukwon.
Next, we witness master Heo Yeom and Park Jin discussing Jang Uk taking such a drastic step to get his energy gates open. Soon, master Heo Yeom confesses that he has given Jang Uk his own energy worth 10 years to help him recover faster. Park Jin is surprised by this and asks him to take back his energy as soon as possible. However, master Heo Yeom tries to convince him only to fail and accept his request.
This serious conversation then takes a turn and leads us to a comical moment between the two when master Heo Yeom asks Park Jin for the wine he hides. Facing Park Jin feigning ignorance, he pokes at the fact that he has been single as he was not able to get over Do-hwa. Heo Yeom then directly takes out the wine only to see the bottle empty and assumes that he must have been really lonely. However, Park Jin is dumbstruck by the lack of wine and runs off to find the thief- Park Dang-gu.
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On the other hand, we know that Seo Yul is getting suspicious about Mu-deok as her behavior has been anything but normal. Soon, we come back to Jang Uk and Mu-deok who are now at Sejukwon, where they discuss the earlier events. Jang Uk then reveals that no one has understood his desperation or risked their lives for him the way she did. And since the two have survived, he will now serve her as his master.
Jang Uk then proceeds to kneel to his new master, however, Mu-deok stops him and puts forth a condition. She states that their master-pupil relationship will not be known to others and once they’ve achieved their goals- they are to separate. Once she becomes Naksu again, they will separate as he will have no reason to protect her and she will not go easy on him either. Although a little reluctant by Mu-deok’s business-like condition, he agrees to it and pledges to serve her as his master.
Another shift in scenes takes us to secrets hidden within the Danju. There seems to be a soul shifter in the palace who is being fed the souls of people who keep him from going mad. Here comes a twist! When Jin Mu confirms the killing of the body in which Naksu’s soul is assumed to be in by his subordinate. But when he asks about checking the blue mark on the body, the subordinate lies and says that it was on the body. Jin Mu comes to the conclusion that Naksu must have lost all her energy which is why she couldn’t fight back. When asked if he ever came across such a situation, he remembers the past when Jang Kang has soul shifted into the emperor’s body. It is revealed that it was this incident that led to him acquiring the knowledge of soul shifting from Jang Kang.
Next, we have Mu-deok beginning her lessons with Jang Uk and informing him about the three steps one has to achieve to become the best mage. Unfortunately, she soon realizes that he lacks in martial arts which makes teaching him an even harder task. He reasons with her and tells her that he never had the motivation to learn which resulted in his present condition.
Also Read: Alchemy Of Souls Episode 2 Recap: Mu-deok gets caught by Songrim?
We later witness another comical scene between Park Jin and housekeeper Kim as the two attack each other with their reasons for being single all these years. While Park Jin loved Do-hwa, housekeeper Kim loved Jang Kang, but the two could only end up in unrequited love. However, the two soon come to the conclusion that they are in the same situation and should not mock each other. Park Jin then tells her that the blocked gates were actually protecting Jang Uk and hopes that she will not blame him for his next actions.
Mu-deok is sweeping outside Sejukwon where she ends up bickering with Heo Yeon but is asked to not resent him for it’s his anger towards Jang Uk. She is told that Heo Yeom dearly cares about Jung Uk which is why he has given his energy to Jang Uk to help in his recovery. Surprised by this revelation, Mu-deok rushes to Jang Uk to confirm the same and is excited when she confirms that same. She then plans to steal this energy for him but requires Heo Yeom’s breathing technique to achieve this purpose.
She chases behind Seo Yul, as he belongs to Heo Yeom’s family and is likely to have the same breathing technique; while Jang Uk meets Heo Yeom and tries to create an opportunity. This results in Seo Yul becoming more suspicious about Mu-deok, especially when he sees her play the whistle that Naksu had given to him in the past. Mu-deok has the whistle and takes the opportunity to know about his breathing technique. However, it all becomes useless when Jang Uk tells her that he already got his hands on the technique and is already practising it at the moment.
We then see the entry of a new character, the crown prince- Go Won (Shin Seung-ho). He is a student of Jin Mu and is a talented fighter. Upon meeting Jin Mu he is informed of the opening of Jang Uk’s energy gates. Go Won is also informed that Jang Uk has taken away Naksu’s sword even though it was given to him by the emperor. He is then told by Jin Mu about how Jang Uk could do that because the Gwanju title is still held by the Jang family and he has always looked down upon Jin Mu. The crown prince is furious as Jin Mu is his teacher and this is equivalent to looking down on him. Jin Mu, thus, succeeds in manipulating the crown prince.
Alchemy Of Souls Episode 3 Ending
Park Jin calls upon Jang Uk to the main hall. While everyone thinks that Jang Uk will finally be an official member of Songrim, Park Jin announces his banishment from Songrim. He is later punished with a hundred flogging when Jang Uk fails to return the spirit plaque. While punishment is carried out, Jang Uk asks for the last one to be done by Park Jin himself. Upon completion of the same, he and Mu-deok are seen leaving Songrim, with his father’s and Naksu’s swords.
The reason for Park Jin’s actions was revealed in a flashback where Jang Kang had revealed to Park Jin that Jang Uk is the late emperor’s child. He requests Park Jin never let the child open his gates as this was the only way to protect him from the new emperor. If he silently lives as Jang Kang’s son then he can survive, but if not, then his survival is almost impossible.
Alchemy Of Souls Episode 3 Review
Alchemy of Souls episode 3 was surely an intense one. While there were more comical scenes in this episode when compared to the previous ones, this episode can be marked as the true beginning of this Kdrama. The real truth behind Jang Uk’s blocked gates and the guardians who are hidden behind tough masks are revealed in this episode. Jang Uk definitely shines in this episode as the protagonist as we see more of him and his story than that of Mu-deok/Naksu’s.
The episode has given us many answers, but it has also completely opened this show for the viewers. There is a lot to look forward to from this point and the viewers are definitely excited!
Alchemy Of Souls is streaming on Netflix.
Check out all of the other Alchemy of Souls reviews here.
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