01x19 - Episode 19

[bunniefuu]

Bu-yeon, is this where you felt

the energy of the sparkling stone?

Father.

We are close.

The pretty stone is

somewhere underwater nearby.

Do you really think

what she found is the ice stone?

Yes, it has to be it.

Ten years ago, my master, Jang g*ng,

sealed the ice stone here

at Lake Gyeongcheondaeho.

And now it has been found

by the girl who was born

through the great power of the ice stone.

I am sure that

Bu-yeon is Jang g*ng's daughter.

It explains why he performed sorcery

to save her.

Do you resent her?

Thanks to that girl,

a good-for-nothing man like me

was able to marry

the daughter of the Jin family.

So I guess I should be grateful.

This is the place.

The pretty stone is right underneath us.

Her father's inferiority complex

and jealousy

were what led Jin Bu-yeon to her death.

It suits you well.

If you like it,

then I like it too, Mother.

You should try on something else.

Jin Bu-yeon's immense divine powers

not only came from her mother,

a member of the Jin family.

They also came from her father,

a descendant of the fallen Choi family.

The Choi siblings, who made a living

by performing curses and divinations,

were descendants of Mage Choi,

the very first mage to perform

the alchemy of souls.

Jin Bu-yeon was

a descendant of both families,

which enabled her to become

the best priestess anyone had ever seen.

You have finally found it.

Bu-yeon.

Hand over the ice stone to me.

Hand it over!

Bu-yeon…

Bu-yeon!

Bu-yeon!

Eat up.

Here. Hold the spoon.

It is bad enough that you are blind.

It is pitiful that

you cannot even remember your name.

Would you like to live with me?

My late granddaughter's name was Mu-deok.

Can I call you Mu-deok?

All right.

Your name is Mu-deok from now on.

Such a lovely girl.

Go ahead and eat.

Mu-deok.

Mother.

Bu-yeon.

How is this possible?

This is exactly what happened

the day Jin Bu-yeon disappeared.

Mu-deok has not returned.

Both Uk and Mu-deok

must have been k*lled by the soul shifter.

At this rate, the rest of us will die too.

Jin Bu-yeon.

You brought the ice stone

from Jinyowon yourself.

You are a priestess.

Are you unable to control it?

I just did what my mother told me to do

and brought it here.

You are pathetic.

Young Master Seo has lost too much blood.

Without a blood transfusion,

his life will be in danger.

If you need someone's blood,

you can use mine.

We are unable to use spells in here,

so your blood cannot be shared.

Give me your hand.

The worm that sucked the blood

of my daughter, Cho-yeon,

will enter your body

and give you the power of the Jin family.

Jang Uk has made a fool of us

with his lie.

The mages of the Unanimous Assembly have

taken turns reading Words of the Heart,

and it says nothing about the ice stone.

It is nothing more than a piece of poetry.

What does Songrim have to say about this?

All the mages may have read it,

but there is something no one knows.

Words of the Heart is

a letter of confession

written by Master Seo Gyeong.

It was a letter?

It was a love letter

written to Jin Seol-ran,

the first leader of Jinyowon.

It is a letter confessing that

he did not destroy the ice stone

because he could not let go

of his dying lover.

Are you saying Master Seo Gyeong

chose not to destroy the ice stone

because of love?

He is just making things up.

I can prove that it is a love letter.

All you need to do is say the name

of the recipient in your head,

and it will enable you to read

the letter yourself, Your Majesty.

I can read Words of the Heart

even though I am not a skilled mage?

The name of the recipient

reminds you of a fresh orchid

that blooms on a cold field of snow.

It is Seol-ran.

"Seol-ran"?

"The faint, blue light…"

"My heart aches to see

my beautiful flower wither."

"And in the end,

I am a fool who dares not shed

a single tear."

It is his confession

saying he left the ice stone unharmed

to save his lover.

But Lady Jin Seol-ran passed away

less than six months

after Jinyowon was established

due to her injury during the Great Chaos.

If it was left for her,

then why did she not use it

to save herself?

I believe she chose not to use it

because she did not want the world

to be exposed to such dangerous power.

What human would choose

to give up on such immense power?

A man like you

would never choose to do what she did.

However, she did it for mankind.

She did what was right.

To protect what we must…

one must sometimes choose

to let go of everything.

Since you have unsheathed the sword,

make your decision.

I know you have been avoiding me.

I also know that everyone's lives

are in your hands.

Like you promised,

point your sword at me first.

Overflowing power means

you will not be able to control

how much of it you use.

Desire rain, and you will get a flood.

Desire wind, and you will get a typhoon.

Try to endure it.

Does that mean

I have no control over this power?

There is one thing you can do

of your own free will,

which is to not use it.

It is up to you

to choose not to use that power.

Make me another promise

just like you said you would.

Among the many stars,

there is a very sad one

called the King's Star.

What is the King's Star?

A star that is given to those

who are permitted

to use the energy of the heavens.

Does that mean

that person becomes powerful?

That means it is a good thing.

Well, I would not say

it is necessarily always a good thing.

With great power

comes great responsibilities.

What are responsibilities?

It means you must also do things

you do not wish to do,

which can be very distressing and lonely.

Mister, can we eat that?

Sure.

-I shall give this to you.

-Thank you.

In return, make sure

you do not fight over it.

All right. Let us go now.

The star will appear soon.

Then those leaving shall leave,

and those returning shall return.

This is the place that

the Crown Prince was looking for.

The apothecary where Eunuch Kim,

the man who served the queen,

visited every month.

You really know how to find your way.

Remember the charm

that helps two people become lovers?

Did you get that at Gaema Village too?

That charm did not even work.

Stop teasing me about that.

What do you mean it did not work?

Look at us. We are here together.

I mean…

We are not here on a date.

Why is he here?

APOTHECARY

Father?

You must have regained consciousness.

You have tried to harm yourself

once again, Your Highness.

Why are you keeping me alive?

Please just k*ll me.

I cannot do that yet.

The Queen's Lantern of Life

must continue to glow

while the Queen's body stays alive.

It disturbs me to see you

glare at me like that

with the face of my sister.

Your resentment should not

be directed toward me.

Resent the man

who put me and my sister in this position.

Shaman Choi, you have cursed

and harmed people

by performing prohibited divinations.

Do you admit to your sins?

I was merely paid

to give people what they wanted.

The ones at fault are those

who asked me to curse others.

Your curse has led to someone's death!

Yet you still plead innocence?

A divination strong enough

to k*ll someone…

I am amazed by your divine powers.

It just might be

strong enough to even k*ll you.

Find every single spell book and tool

that was used to perform evil divinations.

-Yes, my lord!

-Yes, my lord!

No, not that!

We may be a lowly family,

but that is our family heirloom.

I did not use it to perform divinations!

So please do not burn it!

CHEONGANG

It is a spell book.

No…

Burn it.

No!

CHEONGANG

Put out the fire. Now!

-Yes, my lord!

-Yes, my lord!

CHEONGANG

THE ALCHEMY OF SOULS

"The alchemy of souls"?

Hang in there, my sister.

Everything began with him.

He put those scars on my sister's face.

He is the reason why my sister

shifted her soul into your body.

It is all his fault.

Jang g*ng.

Jang…

g*ng…

You cannot pass away just yet.

Stay alive in my sister's body

for just a bit longer,

Your Highness.

It has been more than ten years

since I entered this body.

But whenever her consciousness returns,

it still puts a toll on me.

If not for the Lantern of Life,

I would have k*lled her already.

Your brother went to her

to feed her the potion.

So you will feel better soon.

But…

How did the ice stone

end up at Jeongjingak?

Jin Ho-gyeong probably made a mistake

since it was her first time

handling the ice stone.

When the timing is right,

I will gather the power of the ice stone

using the alchemy of souls.

If you do that now,

everyone in Jeongjingak will die.

Yes, I know.

The Crown Prince is there too.

So?

You must wait

until the Crown Prince safely gets out.

Then you can collect its power.

What if he cannot get out?

Am I just supposed to wait and do nothing?

What if someone else

takes its power before I do?

Fortunately, no one is doing anything

because everyone is on their guard.

First, we must find a way

to save the Crown Prince.

Mother.

I must have misheard her.

Why would she call me "Mother"?

That is ridiculous.

People…

seem more concerned about the ice stone…

than the kids who are trapped

inside the barrier.

The two of us should try

and break the barrier.

If we do anything

without the Unanimous Assembly's consent,

there will be another fight.

The ice stone belongs to Jinyowon.

Songrim no longer has the right

to make decisions about it.

Lady Jin.

Is it true that the ice stone

never left the walls of Jinyowon

for the past 200 years?

You once told me that a Songrim mage

once entered Jinyowon.

By any chance,

was it Jang g*ng?

I asked you a question.

Did Jang g*ng ever get his hands

on the ice stone?

The baby inside me is not moving.

I had her inside me for 13 months.

I cannot let her go like this.

I must save her.

I am sorry.

She is already dead.

Inside Jinyowon

lies the ice stone.

The ice stone?

Why act so startled?

You presumed it would be there.

You asked me to let you inside Jinyowon

on numerous occasions.

I know it was because you wanted

to look for the ice stone.

I heard the ice stone has the power

to bring back the souls of the dead.

I am not powerful enough…

to control the ice stone.

But you, Jang g*ng,

might have what it takes.

Are you telling me to perform sorcery?

I will do anything to save my baby!

Please.

Please help me save this baby.

That night, I opened the doors of Jinyowon

and let him inside

in the hopes of saving the dead baby

inside me.

And as a consequence,

Jinyowon ended up losing the ice stone.

Even if that was the case,

Songrim is more at fault.

A Songrim mage,

who always pretended to be righteous,

took the ice stone

and caused havoc by using it

to perform the alchemy of souls.

That is why I wanted to hide it.

However,

I will do what I can to reveal the truth

and set things right,

even if it requires me to expose

Songrim's wrongdoings…

and reprimand those at fault.

Then you will have to reprimand

the person you cherish as well.

It will not be easy.

I know.

But…

if that is the only way

to rectify the situation,

then I will do so.

My sister will shift her soul

from your body

to the body of a girl who is

pretending to be my eldest daughter.

Once that happens,

I will do as you wish and k*ll you.

Cho-yeon.

What…

What are you doing here?

Father.

What…

in the world…

did I just hear?

Who is that woman?

Does the soul inside that body…

truly belong to the Queen?

Father, stop.

My lord.

Is that you?

Maidservant Kim.

It has been a long time.

Master Jang.

It is the soul shifter.

Uk must have defeated him.

It only took a single stroke.

We cannot use spells in here.

How did he manage to k*ll him?

Where are Uk and Mu-deok?

Find them.

Yes, Your Royal Highness.

I saw an illusion when I first received

the energy of the ice stone.

She told me that no one can

truly own the ice stone

and that you can only use its power.

Because it is the power of the sky.

We need to train ourselves

to even be able to control

the energy within us.

The energy of the sky

is surely way beyond our reach.

I guess it means we are unable

to use it freely because it is not ours.

If one cannot own it…

What if I give it all away?

Give it all away?

What if I give all my energy

to the energy of the sky?

Then my energy will become

the energy of the sky.

I read records about the ice stone

inside the secret library in Jeongjingak.

It said the ice stone has

no shape or form.

Thus, it can be water, fire, or wind.

It is impossible to know its size.

Thus, it can be

both minuscule or enormous.

That means the fog

surrounding Jeongjingak like a barrier

is not the actual form of the ice stone.

So it can turn into water or fire,

and it can also become bigger

or smaller than this?

That is right.

Then do you think

we can turn the fog into rain?

Rain?

You told me that I was incapable

of b*ating the ice stone

because I could only gather

a single water drop at most.

But what if that water drop

turns into thousands of raindrops?

Then it will turn into rain.

It might work.

But to do that, you need to use Tansu.

-Then…

-Then I will lose all my energy.

That is why I said

I must give it all away.

No.

Let us think of another way.

If we wait and the Queen gathers

the power of the ice stone,

we will all die.

She will not be able to do anything rash

with the Unanimous Assembly there.

Uk, I do not want you to do this.

As your master, that is an order.

I may have given up

on acquiring this power,

but I cannot let you lose it all too.

It took us so much effort to get this far.

I had to push you again and again,

and you risked your life many times

to come this far.

How could you be willing to lose it all

for a single drop of water?

Yul is severely injured.

If we do not do anything, he will die.

Mu-deok.

You gave up what you wanted

because you wanted to protect me.

I am trying to protect as well.

And Yul has also been

protecting you all along.

Without a blood transfusion,

his life will be in danger.

This worm sucked the blood

of a member of the Jin family.

If I give this to him…

Do not die, Young Master Seo.

Please stay alive.

Put away the Soul Ejector.

What if someone sees it?

I cannot endure this any longer.

I must retrieve the ice stone at once

with the help of the Soul Ejector.

Have you lost your mind?

You cannot perform sorcery

with the Soul Ejector

when the Unanimous Assembly is here.

Sorcery?

This Soul Ejector was made

from the ice stone.

Yet the ice stone is considered good

while the Soul Ejector is considered evil.

How ridiculous is that?

You may think it is ridiculous,

but that is the order of this world.

We are doing this

so you can emerge from the darkness

without being defamed

as someone who performs sorcery.

Defame?

You came this far with the help

of my family's alchemy of souls.

How dare you treat it with disdain?

I am merely saying the alchemy of souls

is a spell that is unacknowledged.

Why must the world acknowledge it?

When we found the ice stone

at Lake Gyeongcheondaeho ten years ago,

we could have used the power of sorcery

to rise under the Choi family name.

However,

you insisted that I enter the Queen's body

and formed a secret organization

in Cheonbugwan.

And now,

you insist on revealing the ice stone

to the world through Jinyowon.

That was because it was too dangerous

to go against the world with sorcery.

It was not that it was dangerous.

You just despised it.

You did not want to be stigmatized

for using sorcery.

You just wanted to wield your power

as everyone worshipped you.

Why are you so desperate

to be acknowledged?

Is it because you still cannot get over

the fact that you were born

due to your father's dirty affair

and were never truly acknowledged

as a true member of the Jin family,

which made you run around like a dog?

The royal position of Queen

must have become burdensome

for someone who used to make a living

off of performing crude divinations.

If it is so hard to bear,

I will get you a few living souls.

Feed off their souls

and get your act together.

You found the Queen's soul?

Did you bring her to Songrim?

Yes.

She is with Young Lady Jin.

Bring her to the Training Center.

I will reveal the truth

in front of everyone.

No, my lord.

You must only tell the royal family

and the people of Jinyowon.

You are the heir of Songrim,

yet you stand there

worrying about the reputation of Jinyowon?

I will not deny that.

But Songrim also seems

to hold responsibility in this matter.

A Songrim mage was the start of all this.

A Songrim mage? Who?

Jang Uk's father, Gwanju Jang g*ng.

Based on Songrim's request,

I have sent everyone away

but the mages of Cheonbugwan and Jinyowon.

What is that you have to tell us?

I heard the Crown Prince has been

looking for someone recently.

Park Dang-gu, a mage of Jeongjingak,

and Jin Cho-yeon, a priestess of Jinyowon,

have found that person.

The Crown Prince has been

looking for someone?

Who may that be?

She is here with us.

I heard someone threw a rock

that said the ice stone takes away

their energy to cast spells.

The ice stone takes away

their power to cast spells?

It is the power used

in the alchemy of souls.

I guess it sucks out spell-casting energy

just like how it does with souls.

Then what is going to happen to our kids?

You were all so eager to k*ll someone

just so you could see its power.

And now you are scared?

The power of the ice stone

cannot be controlled by humans.

That is why Songrim

insisted on destroying it.

Then Songrim should take action.

My son is in there.

So is my granddaughter.

If I knew what to do,

I would not be just standing here.

Everyone here coveted

the power of the heavens,

and look what that led to.

I fear this will cause

many people to die again,

just as what happened 200 years ago

during the Great Chaos.

Seo Gyeong…

Master Seo Gyeong

got rid of the ice stone.

Did he leave anything behind

other than Words of the Heart?

Words of the Heart

was the only thing he left behind.

We summoned the power of the ice stone,

so someone among us must undo it

just like what Master Seo Gyeong did

many years ago.

You are going to use rain

to get rid of the ice stone's energy?

I cannot be sure if it will rain

and whether or not

that rain will get rid of the barrier.

One thing is for sure.

If you use Tansu in here,

you will lose

all of your ability to cast spells.

I know.

Yet you are willing to try?

You may not be a high-level mage,

but you still went through a lot

to get this far.

Are you fine with losing it all?

I will deal with that.

But I need you to help me deal

with something else.

If the ice stone disappears,

I need you to deal with what comes next.

Those who coveted its power

will become resentful.

They might even get suspicious

and think it was hidden somewhere.

So you want me to act like

I was the one who hid the ice stone

and to deal with the consequences?

Are you telling me

to take credit for what you did?

I am asking you to clean up

after the mess I will be causing.

Jang Uk.

Not only could you lose your powers,

but you could also die.

Stop being stupid and just forget it.

My master

always pushed me to the edge of a cliff

and said this to me.

"It is better to die than to do nothing."

I will be trying something

not out of stupidity, but out of vigor.

Just as my master has taught me.

I did not know you had a master.

Who is it? Is it Master Lee Cheol?

Young Master.

I brought the sword.

Filthy Mu-deok.

Are you not going to stop him

from being so reckless?

It is better to die than to do nothing.

Young Master.

Do what you must.

And…

I hope you succeed.

The person who is about to step inside

is in an incredibly terrible state.

Twenty years ago,

she b*rned herself as she tried to escape

the patrol of Cheonbugwan.

She was a shaman who performed divinations

and cursed people.

A shaman?

She was locked up like a beast

for a very long time,

inside a tiny room

near an apothecary in Gaema Village.

Why was she locked up?

I requested you to assemble this meeting

in hopes to find that out, Your Majesty.

Everyone here is

somewhat related to Shaman Choi,

the woman who will soon enter this room.

-Everyone?

-Your Majesty.

Now is not the time for this.

Deal with the ice stone first.

This can wait

until the Crown Prince safely returns.

Leader of Songrim, bring the shaman here.

Please come inside.

Shaman Choi, show your face.

Your Majesty.

Never in my dreams did I think

I would be able to see your face again.

Do you know me?

I am your wife, Your Majesty.

I am Seo Ha-seon, the Queen of Daeho.

Shut your mouth!

How dare you speak my name

with that filthy mouth of yours?

I am the Queen of this country!

How dare you!

You did this to me.

You, a lowly shaman,

used the wicked alchemy of souls

to shift your filthy soul…

into my sacred body,

the body of the Queen!

I have had enough of your lies.

Assistant Gwanju, do not just stand there.

Shut that crazy woman up right now.

First, we will have to check

whether or not she is lying.

Fine.

She says her soul was shifted,

so let us check if the Queen

has a blue mark on her body.

I will gladly show it to you

to help you get rid of your suspicions.

Should I reveal my shoulder here?

The blue mark can easily be removed.

Then there is no other way to prove it.

There is Gwigu.

I have the ashes

of the dog Gwigu was in

that was cremated recently.

What remains of Gwigu's powers

will help us…

reveal the truth.

No!

No!

You see,

those were…

simply ashes collected

from a brazier.

You just proved to us yourself

that you are a soul shifter.

I order you to drag out Shaman Choi

who used the wicked

alchemy of souls to take over

the Queen's body!

-Yes, my lord!

-Yes, my lord!

No!

Do not harm her. That is my body.

My soul must return to that body.

Do not let her harm it.

Do not come close.

Otherwise, I will

destroy this body to pieces.

She is a descendant of Mage Choi,

the man who caused

the Great Chaos 200 years ago.

And she was most likely the one

who created the Soul Ejectors,

which explains the recent appearances

of soul shifters.

This evil performer of sorcery

revealed the ice stone

in front of the Unanimous Assembly

and made a complete fool

of all the mages in Daeho.

The royal family,

Cheonbugwan, and Jinyowon

have all been fooled

by the Choi siblings this whole time.

"Siblings"?

Honey, does this mean

you and that shaman are siblings?

You are a member of the Choi family?

Yes, I am.

I am sorry.

Jin Bu-yeon,

the daughter you recently found,

is also a fake

made by them.

It turns out her next plan was

to shift souls into the body

of Jinyowon's heir.

Shaman Choi.

Put down the dagger

and return that body

to Her Highness the Queen.

Do as I say,

and I will spare your brother's life.

You say I am evil.

But no one here

deserves to call me that.

Do you want to know

how I managed to take over

the sacred body of the Queen?

She gladly gave up her body to me

because she wanted to shift souls

into a younger and more beautiful body.

Jin Ho-gyeong!

Were you not the one who brought

the ice stone out into the world?

You are the leader of Jinyowon,

the protector of its relics.

Yet you let the ice stone

leave the four walls of Jinyowon so

it could be used for the alchemy of souls.

And the very person who performed

the alchemy of souls

was a mage of Songrim.

Park Jin!

You hid the truth,

despite knowing everything.

You acted like you were eager

to catch everyone who performed sorcery.

However, you were busy

trying to hide that man's faults.

As for you, Jin Mu.

Why are you just standing there

doing nothing?

Am I really the only one that is evil

based on the logic and justification

created by these people?

Logic and justification are

created by those with power.

But you have lost your power now,

so that makes you evil.

Jin Mu, you do not fail to disappoint.

Your loyalty is as fickle as the wind.

Hand over the rest of the Soul Ejectors.

We will return the Queen's body,

and you will be set free

without petrification.

I advise you to do as I say

if you want your brother to live.

My sister.

Use the remaining Soul Ejector

to run away.

This is the only thing left

that I can do for you.

For that, I am sorry.

Father!

Father!

Father!

Father…

Father…

I will do as you wish

and get rid of the evil ice stone!

However,

once the ice stone is gone,

everyone inside it will also die.

-Look.

-What is that?

Jang g*ng?

"Jang g*ng"?

Jang g*ng, the Gwanju of Cheonbugwan?

Jang g*ng, is that really you?

What are you doing here?

He is a soul shifter.

The energy of the Soul Ejector is gone.

Someone stopped it.

Gwanju Jang g*ng is here.

Jang g*ng…

Did you block the energy

of the Soul Ejector…

with your body?

Do not go near him.

Jang g*ng is a soul shifter

and has run wild.

Look.

His entire body is becoming petrified.

He is right.

I performed the forbidden alchemy of souls

and became a soul shifter,

and now I am running wild.

You are the Gwanju of Cheonbugwan.

Are you confessing your use of sorcery?

Master Lee Cheol,

a pupil of Master Seo Gyeong,

has ordered me to confess my sins

in front of the Unanimous Assembly,

and that is why I am here.

If you have any energy left

to read this letter,

use the energy you have

to help those who are enduring

the mess you have created.

It will be a chance for you

to end what you have started.

Then the star will rise,

and the rock will descend.

I am responsible

for all the mistakes related to Songrim,

Jinyowon, and Cheonbugwan.

I took the ice stone from Jinyowon

and used it to perform sorcery.

It was also me

who tried to keep it a secret.

I will get petrified here

to make up for all my wrongdoings.

Gwanju Jang g*ng was the man

who started all this,

so I will allow him to put an end to this

with his death.

I want all of you to witness

the tragic collapse of the man

who performed sorcery.

He may be a soul shifter,

but you cannot let him die like this.

His son, Jang Uk, is inside Jeongjingak.

You should wait

until Uk gets out of there.

He deserves to say goodbye to his father.

He is not my son!

You all know that

I blocked his gate of energy

to prevent him

from walking in my footsteps.

He already had a miserable childhood.

Do not let him live

as the son of a sinner.

Where am I?

What is going on? Am I dead?

So it happened.

My energy to cast spells is gone.

Is this the ice stone?

Did I finally get it now that I no longer

have the power to do anything with it?

Now, this is just

nothing more than a stone to me.

It is the King's Star!

The King's Star is up in the night sky!

The King's Star has appeared.

The barrier around Jeongjingak is gone.

The ice stone has vanished,

and the King's Star has appeared.

The King's Star also appeared

when Master Seo Gyeong

ended the Great Chaos 200 years ago.

Then are you saying that

someone inside Jeongjingak

was born with the same fate

as Master Seo Gyeong?

He is the King's Star.

He is the King's Star!

The Crown Prince is

the newly risen King's Star!

-Your Royal Highness!

-Your Royal Highness!

Uk was the one who was born

with the energy of the King's Star.

Did he get rid of the ice stone?

My pupil, you have lost all your energy.

Master, you also have returned

to being just Mu-deok.

I do not mind

since we are together.

I heard the wedding is

going to be held at Songrim.

Of course. The groom is a mage of Songrim.

I do not approve of this marriage.

I simply cannot believe

that they are getting married.

I saw them together a few times.

They make a nice couple.

What is wrong with you?

The groom could do better.

What are you talking about?

That should be said about the bride.

People could not stop talking

about the Unanimous Assembly

and the King's Star.

But now they are busy

talking about the upcoming wedding.

The leader of Songrim pushed for

this wedding knowing this would happen.

I must say, I still cannot believe

that those two are getting married.

Young Master Seo, I heard you did not eat.

I will eat when I am hungry. Do not worry.

Shall I make you some noodles?

You need to eat to take medicine.

I do not need to take it anymore.

Stop bothering me about it.

You are returning to Seoho Fortress soon.

You should eat well before you leave…

My wound has healed,

and I have regained my energy.

I heard you still

moan in pain in your sleep.

I know you are lying.

It does not hurt much.

You are such a terrible liar,

Young Master Seo.

You are very pure at heart,

so whenever you are being untrue,

it is easy to notice.

It just shows on your face.

It must have been hard for you

to hide it all along.

I am sorry.

And thank you…

for protecting me.

And Yul has also been

protecting you all along.

Yul knows who you are.

He knows you are a soul shifter

and that you are Naksu the assassin.

But he tried his best not to show it.

He wanted to protect the girl

he had met in Danhyanggok.

You told me that

this belonged to the friend

who saved you in Danhyanggok, right?

Yes.

I wanted to take her with me

to Seoho Fortress.

She had a secret

that she was hiding from everyone,

so I wanted to take her there

and help her hide.

I promised that

I would help you take her with you.

But that person only exists

in your memory now.

She no longer exists in this world.

At first, I thought

burning this might be the way to help you

erase her from your memory.

But you told me

you loved everything about Danhyanggok.

Take this with you.

I would like to check

if you are healing well,

so allow me

to feel your breathing three times.

Let us say goodbye to each other

while these three breaths last.

I also enjoyed my time with you…

at Danhyanggok.

Thank you for everything.

It looks like your wound is healing well.

I know the medicine is bitter,

but make sure you take it regularly.

I will.

I will take it

no matter how bitter it may be.

This time, it will fully heal.

Your father took full responsibility

for everything that happened

by sacrificing his life in the end.

Thanks to him, Songrim and Jinyowon

were not penalized.

He probably denied that you were his son

because he did not want you

to be blamed for his wrongdoings.

Do not worry.

I stopped being bothered by the fact

that I might not be his son.

Do you recognize your father?

You have never met him before, have you?

I have met him.

He probably knew

who I was when we met.

It looks as though

you know who I am.

You carry the sword

of Cheonbugwan's Gwanju,

so you must be his son.

This is the sword and robe that

the royal family had given to Jang g*ng,

the former Gwanju of Cheonbugwan

who d*ed while performing sorcery.

We would like for you to tell us

what to do with his belongings.

Songrim can keep them.

Have you found Jin Mu,

the Assistant Gwanju?

We are still looking for him.

We are sure that

he has not left the capital.

He could have left

in another person's body.

If he does what he did to me

and shifts his soul,

how will Songrim recognize him?

After all,

you were fooled all these years.

Your Highness.

Master Kang of Daegangtongun

ran wild and became petrified,

but Sejukwon succeeded in saving him.

If you ever run wild and get petrified,

there is a way to treat it.

What is the point?

I will have to live in this horrible body

until the day I die.

How could you let Jang Uk live

when his father was the one

who caused me to become like this?

Jang g*ng

took full responsibility

by giving up his life.

We also took away

Jang Uk's rights to become

the next Gwanju of Cheonbugwan.

He washed away his sins

by losing everything he had.

When Jang g*ng d*ed,

he told us that Jang Uk was not his son.

So it would be unfair

to hold him responsible.

Jang g*ng d*ed without telling us

who Jang Uk's father was in the end.

Master Jang g*ng wanted me

to give this to you.

He told me that this will show you

who Young Master Jang's father is.

I guess

you also know the truth now,

Maidservant Kim.

I cannot believe it.

Madam Do-hwa gave birth

to the son of the late king?

Uk was conceived

when the late king shifted souls

and slept with Do-hwa.

Jang g*ng performed the alchemy of souls

and shifted souls

with the late king.

Master Jang ruined his son's life.

If Young Master Jang finds out…

I do not plan to tell him.

Not only will I keep it from Uk,

but I will also keep it from everyone.

The King's Star that appeared

the night you destroyed the ice stone

was engraved in a constellation plate.

Everyone is excited to welcome a king

born with the energy of the King's Star.

Would you like to see the plate?

No.

Did the Assistant Gwaju

really shift souls and disappear?

Were you hiding inside Cheonbugwan

all this time?

I have been waiting for a chance

to meet you, Your Royal Highness.

Are you asking me to spare your life?

You are the only person who can save me,

but I am also the only person

who can protect you.

Protect me from what?

I will protect you

from the true owner of the King's Star.

-What are you talking about?

-You already know that

you are not the true owner.

The man who will outshine you

and will be worshipped by everyone.

The man who will make you collapse.

You are next in line to be king,

and Jang Uk, the owner of the King's Star,

should not be allowed

to rise above you.

I promise to get rid of

that ominous light for you.

The one thing

that I desperately yearned for…

actually belonged to Jang Uk.

How pretty. You look beautiful.

You look magnificent.

You are about to drool.

-You can take it off now.

-Why did you

ask me to put this on anyway?

Why not the bride herself?

Her father is in a very bad state,

so she could not make it.

Your build is similar to hers,

so that is why.

You can get changed now.

Come on. Let us leave

so she can get changed.

-Stop staring. Let us go.

-She is the most beautiful woman ever.

She really is.

I guess…

I look quite nice.

Oh, hey.

Mu-deok is here, right? Where is she?

Mu-deok is…

She is in that room over there.

-Go on inside.

-All right.

Goodness.

I heard there was a bride

about to get married soon.

Is that you?

No.

Look who it is. It is my master.

I told you to wait for me at Sejukwon.

-What are you doing here?

-Heo Yeom sent me to fetch some wine.

Then Ju-wol asked me to put this on.

I need to get changed now.

Wait for me outside.

No, wait.

This is actually not a bad place.

After all, it is where we first met.

Not a bad place for what?

There is a very important ritual

that we must do.

First, come sit here.

What is going on?

This is not necessary.

Stop it. You are embarrassing me.

What is with you?

It is only embarrassing at first.

But you get used to it after 13 times.

What?

You've proposed 13 times?

Master.

As of today,

I wish to end my training as your pupil.

I am grateful that

you always pushed me to train harder

despite how lacking I was.

I know that

you gave up your chance

to regain your energy.

And I, too, chose to give up

the energy I tried so hard to build.

But instead, I now have someone precious

that I wish to keep by my side forever.

I do not wish to be used and discarded.

I wish to protect and cherish you.

Thus, allow me to quit.

I, Mu-deok, your master,

will allow my pupil, Jang Uk, to quit.

All right, then.

Marry me, Mu-deok.

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK

JOO SANG-WOOK

Subtitle translation by: Ja-won Lee

ALCHEMY OF SOULS

I have decided to get married

to Young Master Jang.

There has been no woman around you.

This will all be for Mu-deok.

That cannot be!

I will find the sword

that can help you destroy Jang Uk.

Jin Mu must be k*lled.

Are you saying that they had

all deceived and mocked me?

They are trying to protect Jang Uk.

An assassin has appeared in Sejukwon!

I believe Mu-deok's body

originally belonged

to someone with great divine powers.

Naksu. You have given me hope.