01x01 - Episode 1

[bunniefuu]

You poor thing.

Child, eat this.

Child.

Go on.

I will bring you more meat.

Eat slowly.

Mom.

Geon!

I told you to reach out to me

if anything were to happen to him.

How could you let things come to this?

He will be fine

once he absorbs human energy.

He returns back to normal.

Your son has run wild.

I shall retrieve his soul.

No!

You were the one

who turned my son into a soul shifter.

Either get him another body,

or feed him the energy of human souls!

Bring back my son.

Bring back my son!

If word gets out that

I used forbidden sorcery,

we will both be doomed.

No…

Please…

No, please. Geon.

Stay with me for just a bit longer.

My son…

Why do the bodies of soul shifters

turn like rocks when they run wild?

A cr*ck forms when the bodies clash

with the souls they carry,

which causes them to lose energy.

This is already the eighth soul

that has run wild.

I guess I should stop shifting souls.

You should go to the royal palace.

His Majesty has been asking

about the new spell

that you have been trying to master.

I hear…

you have been trying to master

a new kind of spell.

It is nothing grand.

It is just a trick I tried out for fun.

I know I cannot ask to live for longer.

However,

it saddens me that I do not have an heir.

I wish you a quick recovery.

I cannot do anything with this sick body.

But I might have a chance

if I were to live in a body

that is young and healthy.

There is no way for humans

to switch bodies.

But you can.

The alchemy of souls.

That is forbidden sorcery.

If a soul clashes with the body,

it could even turn into an evil spirit.

How could I dare

move the soul of a king

to another person's body?

How about your body?

Not for too long. Just seven days.

Let us switch bodies for just seven days.

I heard you once gave a soul

a dead man's body

and that it lived in that body

for over half a year.

I am a king protected by the skies,

and you are the best mage in this land.

So what is there to worry about?

And after seven days,

you can turn things back.

You have mastered the ability

to do something

that only the best mages can do.

Yet you are just wasting your time

shifting souls into dead bodies.

Jang g*ng.

Give this king a different body.

His Majesty and I have switched bodies.

I shall make Do-hwa mine.

If she bears a child,

know that it is mine.

Do-hwa.

Do-hwa.

You are very beautiful.

No, that cannot happen.

That cannot happen.

No!

ALCHEMY OF SOULS

The energy of the sky

rules the wind, clouds, and rain.

This energy reached the ground

and created a huge form of energy.

A country was built around

Lake Gyeongcheondaeho,

a lake that embodied that energy.

The name of the country was Daeho,

due to the enormous lake it had.

Humans who had the power

to control this great energy

were called mages.

This story is about the mages of Daeho,

a place that does not exist

in both history books or maps.

20 YEARS LATER

So you are Naksu,

the Shadow Assassin

who has been going around

k*lling the mages in the city.

They call me Naksu,

for wherever I go,

heads fall to the ground.

A beautiful name, is it not?

k*ll her.

sh**t!

Do not let her get away.

-Capture her.

-Yes, my lord!

Let us go that way. Follow me.

Over there!

I will not die like this.

I cannot.

Goodness, you are so impatient.

I am coming.

What do you want?

Oh, my goodness!

TAVERN

She is dead.

She does not have the blue mark.

This blue mark proves that

her soul has left this body.

Does that mean she failed

to enter another body?

SONGRIM

One.

Two.

Three.

Yul, come here.

Is she Naksu?

Yes.

This mark shows that

her soul has left the body.

Remember this mark.

When someone tries to switch bodies,

it leaves a blue bruise like this

right on top of their heart.

Does that mean her soul escaped her body?

She seems to have tried,

but I think she failed.

This proves that her soul

has escaped her body,

but we found no signs of her soul

having entered another body.

-It is a whistle.

-A whistle?

I once had a similar one myself

back when I had a pet bird.

Did she have a pet bird?

I think she had it for quite a while.

It looks like it is an important item.

She may have been an assassin

who k*lled people like it was nothing,

but she was still human.

She must have had a story of her own.

A lot of people have

already seen Naksu's body.

Word will spread

about the alchemy of souls.

Has it been 20 years

since we have seen a soul shifter?

Yes.

The last soul shifter ran wild

and ended up k*lling many people.

I am worried that might happen again.

Uncle!

Uncle, I heard Naksu was a soul shifter.

Master Heo, did you see her too?

You seem awfully excited to start rumors.

Rumors have already spread.

I came as soon as I heard.

-Where did you hear it?

-At Chwiseonru.

You are a mage of Jeongjingak.

But instead of practicing,

you go to bars and listen to rumors.

Songrim Jeongjingak is not only a place

for mages to practice their spells,

but also a place to gather information.

Also, Dang-gu here will

follow in your footsteps

and become the leader

of the Songrim household.

He should know his liquor.

Now, tell me.

Which liquor tastes best at Chwiseonru?

I do not go there as often anymore

now that Uk is not here.

"Uk"? The son of Jang g*ng?

Is he not learning how to write

at the village school in Yeongchundang?

He got kicked out of there ages ago.

Right now, he is in Gisan.

I sent him to receive training

from Buddhist Monk Ho-yeong.

Uk went to train

at a Buddhist temple this time?

Today, I shall end my training.

You have not even finished your training.

How dare you decide

to end the training without my permission.

You asked me to expand my knowledge,

so I read and memorized

hundreds of spell books.

You asked me to train my mind,

so I patiently sharpened

hundreds of swords.

However, you never taught me

any kind of spell.

The only lesson I learned here is that

you have no intentions

of teaching me spells at all.

Now that I have learned a big lesson,

I would like to end it and leave.

The leader of Songrim asked me

to keep you here for three years.

I know you are building a sanctuary

with the money I paid you in advance.

I will not ask for a refund,

so I hope it is successfully built.

Where do you think you are going?

I never said you could leave!

Did it sound like

I was asking for your permission?

You were conceived

through your mother's affair

and were abandoned by your father.

So what would you know

about respecting your master?

I refuse to teach a guy like you.

I may not know much about

respecting a master,

but I do know how to be a creditor.

Say one more word,

and you will not be able

to build that sanctuary.

Because I will be getting a refund.

No one in this world will teach you spells

because of your father.

Goodness, thank you for your concern.

I will find my own master.

Someone extremely powerful and skilled.

Mu-deok, are you all right?

Why did I have to enter

a body like this one?

I am sure she was blind.

But why is it that I see?

Is it because I am a different soul?

She did not even have a blue mark

showing I entered her body.

How unusual.

Try to bear with the motion sickness.

We are almost there, Mu-deok.

"Mu-deok."

She is a blind girl from the countryside

who got sold off to the fortress.

Sit down. You will fall.

Thanks for the journey.

I will be off now.

What is wrong with me?

I have no strength.

Is this body not capable of

even climbing this?

My arms feel weak.

Mister!

-Help me!

-What…

-Mister!

-Oh, dear!

Mu-deok, hold on!

Mister!

Turn the boat around! Go back!

-My goodness.

-Oh, dear! Mu-deok!

I will fall.

Mister!

Why were you hanging from there

when you cannot even see?

You could have gotten hurt.

This is really bad.

My strength is gone.

Is it motion sickness again?

I am so worried about how weak you are.

Weak.

This body is

unbelievably unhealthy and weak.

I should not switch bodies too soon.

Let us stay as Mu-deok for now.

I am sorry, Mister.

It is fine.

It is all because your body is weak.

Let us fill ourselves up.

-Enjoy.

-Thank you.

Today, let us eat good food.

It is chicken. Enjoy.

As an assassin,

I am sensitive to the smell of blood.

Thus, I do not eat animals that shed

the same colored blood as humans.

-I will pass.

-Just eat.

It is my first time eating meat.

It is delicious.

Eat up.

I really did not want to send you there,

but it was the only place

that agreed to take a blind person.

"There"? Where are you talking about?

An old woman took her in

after she lost both her parents.

But she got sick and recently passed away.

The debt she had due to her illness

got passed onto her,

which is why she's here to be sold off.

I will be off now.

You cannot sell

this poor soul to a brothel.

-I wish you well.

-But…

I cannot believe he fed me chicken

just to sell me to this place.

I will rip you to pieces

as soon as I regain my power.

You are way too skinny.

I wonder if you will become prettier

if you become chubbier.

Just give up.

Getting chubby will not make me prettier.

I am useless and not suitable

to work at a brothel.

Sell me off to someplace else.

You talk very eloquently.

I heard you sing well.

I hope you sing as well as you talk.

You should wash first.

And doll yourself up.

You even know how to dance?

Did it look like a dance?

If my moves contained power,

your arm would have fallen right off.

I am older than you,

so you should speak in honorifics.

You better treat

our customers with respect too.

You just wait. I will k*ll you too.

A lot of powerful people

come to our brothel.

The Four Seasons of Daeho

are also regulars of Chwiseonru.

The four what?

There are four different types

of beautiful people in Daeho Fortress.

And they are called the Four Seasons.

The daughter of the Jin family

who has the vitality of spring.

Jin Cho-yeon.

The heir of the Park family

who has the energy of a hot summer.

Park Dang-gu.

The genius of the Seo family

who is as noble as the sunset in fall.

Seo Yul.

Then there is Jang Uk,

the successor of the Jang family

who is as dazzling as the winter snow.

The Jin, Park, Seo, and Jang family.

They are the most well-known

mage families in Daeho.

Their children are known as

the Four Seasons.

Is that what they are called

in the fortress?

There is my summer prince.

If he is the heir of the Park family,

he must be Park Jin's nephew.

Park Jin.

He was there that night too.

Jin.

Seo.

Jang.

Park.

The Four Seasons?

Once I come across all four of you,

it will be the end of it.

May you greet your deaths

as beautifully as your names.

Who are you here to meet today?

My uncle told me

to come and fetch someone.

Fetch someone? Who?

A trainee in Gisan

humiliated his master and got sent away.

I bet this is where he is hiding.

Will you look at that?

He must have craved seafood

because he was stuck in the mountains

for so long.

I guess he is in that room.

Goodness.

Thanks to you, my uncle has to go

all the way to Gisan

to beg for the monk's forgiveness.

Meanwhile, you are here

enjoying this damn crab.

No, I have not eaten it.

It is such a hassle to eat.

I am glad you came.

Break the shell with your spell.

Unbelievable.

I do know how to cr*ck the shell

and pick out just the meat.

But maybe I should use that spell on you,

not the crab.

Dang-gu, if that monk had been

kind enough to at least teach me that,

I would not have left that way.

What good is it if you cannot do it?

Your dad blocked you from casting spells.

Then he should have helped me break that.

That is what masters do.

They help their students.

No one in Daeho is brave enough

to go against your dad like that.

But some live fearlessly.

For example,

the Shadow Assassin, Naksu.

Do not be ridiculous.

I heard she is so skilled that

even the leader cannot b*at her.

She is dead.

Her soul left her body,

so that means she might still be alive.

Who told you that?

Do you think I am here

just so I can eat crab?

This is the fastest place

to hear everything that goes on in Daeho.

Pick out the meat already.

Put those spells to good use

and pick out the crab meat.

Why can you not pick out

the meat yourself, you lazybones?

You look pretty now that you have washed.

Let me put makeup on you.

Ju-wol, I will just do it myself.

But how? You cannot even see.

I have never done this in my life,

so I need to prepare myself.

I would like to be alone for a while.

Sure. Come out when you are ready.

Being blind makes it easier

to fool people.

I need money to run away.

Are these made of real gold?

This is jade.

Mu-deok, try applying this new rouge.

What are you doing?

Ju-wol, what is wrong?

Can you see?

Catch Mu-deok! Catch the thief!

It is too high.

That way!

What are you looking at?

You…

Do not make a sound.

I heard a blind girl

recently joined the place.

But you can see.

They told me your name.

I think it started with a "D"

or something.

No.

Oh, I remember.

Mu-deok.

Yes, I am Mu-deok.

I know what you look like,

so if you do not stay quiet until I leave,

I will come back and behead you.

What is so funny?

You have beautiful eyes.

Cut the nonsense.

Right, sorry.

Only your eyes are beautiful.

You must be crazy.

Mu-deok.

Mu-deok!

Come on. There is not much in there.

Just…

take this instead.

Hey…

-What are you looking at?

-What? Nothing.

Dang-gu.

I heard Naksu,

the Shadow Assassin, uses Tansu.

What do you know about Tansu?

I know enough.

I read about it in my free time.

TANSU

You see, Tansu is

a type of swordsmanship

that only the best mages can learn.

You flick energy with a blade

just like how you flick water.

A single strike is enough to k*ll someone.

But why do you ask?

I am just wondering if this crab leg

almost could have k*lled me.

Give it here. Give it to me.

I will pick out the meat--

Listen, Uk.

You are aiming at a vital point.

I could die.

Yes, she aimed at my vital point

in just one go.

But why did she roll off then?

Why is it that this tiny body

keeps craving food?

If I do not eat, I only become weaker.

I have no other choice.

Now is not the time to fight.

I should hold it in.

The mages of Jeongjingak are here.

I heard an assassin

has entered Songrim Jeongjingak.

What fool would break into Jeongjingak?

She aimed for the leader, but got caught.

The assassin is a young lady.

My goodness gracious.

He would have seen my dead body.

He likely did not recognize me.

I am sure he did not recognize

the whistle either.

There are no signs of Naksu

having visited this place.

I think she failed to find a new body.

Even if she succeeded,

she probably is not showing herself

because she is facing a problem.

An assassin with a revealed identity

must be discarded.

We will have to

retrieve her body and sword.

Get rid of all everything

that has to do with her.

What happens if she is still alive?

She will either get k*lled

for being a soul shifter,

or her soul will clash with her new body,

and she will turn into a rock.

I trained her to become the best assassin.

It is a pity.

How much longer do you need?

It is expensive,

so I need to take a closer look.

I will not ask for too much.

Just pick a price and pay me.

Over here!

-It is her.

-What is going on?

Take her away!

Where am I? Did I get caught?

Then is this Songrim?

Are you awake?

Who are you? Where is this place?

It is the house of Master Jang g*ng,

the head of Cheonbugwan.

"Jang g*ng"?

So this is the Jang family's house?

I wonder why Young Master

brought home such a weak girl.

-"Young Master"?

-That is right.

Young Master Jang Uk paid money

to bring you here from the brothel.

I heard you stole

his Jade Plaque at the brothel.

Take this instead.

Hey…

Why would he bring me here?

I was worried when he said

he was going to bring home a girl,

but you put me at ease.

He only helped out of pity.

Here. Get changed.

Mu-deok.

-What is this?

-What do you think?

It is your uniform as a servant.

Also, you need to speak to me

using honorifics.

Young Master Jang is weak,

so he gets tired very easily.

Make sure you do things

as soon as you are asked.

And always put on a smile

no matter what he says.

Where is my answer?

-Yes, ma'am.

-Good.

He wanted to see you as soon as possible,

so get changed and go see him.

Answer me.

Yes…

Miss.

I would rather you call me "ma'am."

"Young Master"?

Why would he bring me home?

You have beautiful eyes.

Did he fall for me?

For this face?

He has very low taste.

Anyway, it might be safer for me

to live here until I fully recover.

If he is head over heels for me,

at least he will treat me right.

Then…

I guess I will have to continue

living my life as Mu-deok here.

Young Master. It is me, Mu-deok.

Come in.

Young Master.

Thank you so much for saving my life

and bringing me here.

It just took a few men to drag you here.

-I am disappointed.

-I know it was rude of me

to thr*aten you with a crab leg,

but I hope you will put that behind you.

You sound a lot more polite now.

I will do my best to serve you right.

Fine, you do that.

Mu-deok, go and get me some water.

Yes, Young Master.

Gosh.

I am not thirsty. It is to wash myself.

Oh, I see. I understand, Young Master.

I will just take a bath

instead of washing my face.

Gosh, that is hot.

This is much too hot.

Right, Young Master.

Oh, gosh. It is cold.

The water is freezing.

It is not freezing.

It is. I will catch a cold

if I wash in cold water.

-What is his deal?

-It is so cold.

Did he not fall for me?

What are you doing, Mu-deok?

Yes, Young Master.

I will pour in some more hot water.

It is salty.

Too sweet. Too spicy.

It is too long. What is this taste?

I'm not going to eat.

The water smells weird.

It smells?

Bring me a new bucket.

Get a different blanket.

I want the blue blanket tonight.

He does not do anything,

but he washes three times a day.

I will k*ll him.

Once I regain my energy,

he'll be the first one I k*ll.

Young Master, I brought you cold water.

-I brought…

-Forget it. The water has cooled

to just the right temperature.

Good work…

I mean, your work was all in vain,

Mu-deok.

If only I had the power…

If I just had a fraction

of the power I used to have…

What is going on?

What is happening?

What is so funny?

What?

What is with that smile?

It is nothing.

The water is nice and cold.

Go fetch my clothes.

Right, Young Master.

Gosh.

What are you doing?

Here you go.

You may leave. Get some rest.

Yes, Young Master.

That Spirit Plaque will allow me

to break the barrier and enter Songrim.

But I cannot do that right now

because I do not have

the power to cast spells.

I should find my sword.

I might get my power back

if I find my sword.

With that Spirit Plaque,

I will be able to enter Songrim.

SONGRIM

How long do you plan to keep

Naksu's body at Jeongjingak?

If she succeeded in finding a new body,

Naksu…

will come back for her sword.

She will come here looking for her body.

Let us see how things turn out.

Maybe it is because

your father's room is always empty,

but it never seems to get dusty.

I wonder when he will return.

The colors in your mother's portrait

are starting to fade away.

We should call a painter

to repaint the colors.

I memorized all the books

you told me to read.

Now, teach me how to practice spells

just like how you taught Yul and Dang-gu.

That sword belongs to your father.

Take it out.

Due to the spell that has been cast on me,

I am unable to take out a sword

that has a spell on it.

You cannot even take out

your own father's sword.

How do you expect to learn spells?

Why can you not open my gate of energy

so I can practice casting spells?

I…

cannot do that.

Then find me another master.

No master can do that.

No one in Daeho will be able

to go against your father

and open your gate of energy.

Then are you saying

I will never have

the ability to practice spells?

That was

the fate given to you by your father.

Why!

Why would he decide my own fate?

No one even considers him

as my true father anyway!

I will find someone.

A master who will open my gate of energy

and teach me how to practice spells.

I will find someone myself.

Then I will take out that sword

and break it in two.

I heard Young Master Jang

got expelled again.

Why would the son of the great Lord Jang

always get in so much trouble?

He is not his son.

Do-hwa, the most beautiful woman in Daeho,

slept with another man and had Jang Uk.

I doubt that rumor is true.

Then why would he block his son

from casting spells

and live his life like a vagabond?

I wonder if he is really weak

because his father put a spell on him.

The Spirit Plaque should be

here somewhere.

Where is it?

Why did I have to hide here?

What will he think of me?

What should I say to him?

This was not what I had in mind

when I brought you here.

Well…

You kept saying you were cold,

so I was just heating the bedding for you.

If you lie down right away,

it will be nice and warm all night.

Is that so?

How kind of you.

-Good night, then.

-Where are you going?

You came to keep me warm.

Keep my bed

nice and hot

all night long.

Heat it up.

What? Does he really like me?

Have I fallen for his tricks?

Young Master…

My body is not warm enough

to keep you warm.

Ever since I was young,

I easily got the chills.

So my body temperature is always very low.

All right.

I do not plan on doing

what you want me to do.

Bring the brazier closer to me.

The brazier?

I just wanted you to bring

the brazier near my bed

and keep it hot.

Keep it hot.

Here.

This is too close.

It will be too hot.

Oh, right. It will be too hot.

I will sell you if the fire goes out.

Keep the fire alive all night.

All right, Young Master.

All right. Dang-gu is here.

What is that? It is a whistle.

Yes.

I swear I made this.

Oh, right. I remember.

You used to have a pet bird.

Why? Are you planning to get a new one?

No, not exactly.

I just found this on someone unexpected.

I wonder why she had it.

Maybe you gave it to her.

Maybe you forgot that you gave it to her.

No.

I clearly remember who I gave this to.

Then go ask her.

You are going to go at this hour?

I need to check something.

Who are those guys?

Intruders!

We have intruders!

Intruders!

Go on.

Out of the way!

Yul, what is going on?

The Training Center is on fire.

Who is at Jeongjingak?

Master Yul and Dang-gu.

Uncle, are you all right?

The intruders all left.

Jeongjingak is empty.

-Find them.

-Yes, my lord.

Who were those guys?

Did the Danju send them here?

The soul you need to collect this time

is Park Jin, the leader of Songrim.

Right.

He must have sent them here

to retrieve my body.

Who is there?

Young Master?

What are you doing here?

Because of your eyes.

My eyes?

I knew the moment I saw you.

You are my master.

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK

JOO SANG-WOOK, PARK BYUNG-EUN,

YEOM HYE-RAN, WOO HYUN,

YOON SEO-HYUN, AND JEON HYE-WON

Subtitle translation by: Ja-won Lee

ALCHEMY OF SOULS

The soul shifter.

Naksu, the Shadow Assassin.

I have been searching for someone who

can break this spell to call my master.

I want you to be my master.

What original nonsense.

They are going to catch

Naksu's men who are in here.

We will find that soul shifter.

Feign ignorance even if I get caught.

Stay right by my side.

The people I have met so far

only wanted me dead.

You are the first person

who tried to save me.

Even if we meet again

and come this close to each other,

I will spare you.