Alchemy of Souls: A Farewell to Anguish

There was once a time when the sun failed to rise in our home. As a diversion, only the internet stood as my medium to briefly abandon the reality that thirsts to swallow what hope remains in me. Initially, I expected that my circumstance is bound to get worse. It is seldom to depart from a predicament if one finds comfort in the illusion of escaping, rather than braving the utter mystery of the ceaseless downpour in one area of our life. And yet by miracle, I stumbled upon a Korean drama series, the Alchemy of Souls. From then, it was as though a speck of light came to me. At last, I am seen, I thought.

At first glance, I grew curious about Cho Yeong’s road to vengeance, in disguise as Naksu the Shadow Assassin. Especially when the progressive scenarios in the first season revealed how she had lived through deceit. The end she undoubtedly envisioned all throughout her youth eventually crumbled. However, in a way that a peculiar beginning rose from its debris.

She lived a life almost anew as Mudeok, a powerless maid. Although she tried to regain her life as Naksu, fate led her to a different path. Her hunger for vengeance was satiated by a love the world offered so hesitantly. With the blue marks in her eyes, she came across Jang-Uk whose soul was as raw as winter, a salvation the skies brought close to her who dwells in the same coldness. At the same time, she met a person who reminds her of an old love she buried after having cherished it fleetingly, the autumn of her past, Seo Yul.

Within those unfamiliar moments, the skies were a little brighter than when she was in her former body. However, it was short-lived. Her hatred was tamed at the cost of torment. During this moment, I could only mourn alongside her. Season one of Alchemy of Souls was, in totality, a revelation of cruel redemption to Cho Yeong and Jang Uk. They were only a step behind happiness and yet they were incapacitated before even walking one foot forward.

If I were to be honest, I began to harbor slight bitterness against the writers and immeasurable hostility towards Jin Mu. I would enter their world and punish that antagonistic character if only it was possible. He is pure evil and deserves to be eradicated from their world. There was also a particle of disappointment towards Master Lee, as he mainly acted as though a bystander despite his capabilities. Upset was an understatement to what I was contemplating about upon watching the last episode. My heart feels so much for Naksu and the people who were inevitably involved with what Jin Mu desired. The only comfort I clung to was the news regarding the second season of the series. Before December came, every day was filled with painful waiting.

A woman so innocent and yet desperate for freedom. This time around, Naksu was Jin Buyeon, a priestess of unfathomable divine powers. A strength she could barely manifest. For she lost who she was. The kind of lost Jang Uk has grown intimate with. Together, they committed a sin: living.

Entangled by fate, they met again without recognizing one another. It was an entire cycle of confusion and reluctance to be emotionally available to each other. And yet they soared past that barrier, as if it never existed. They loved as if their souls remembered like hands clasped through eternal promise. Personally, it was an act nothing will be able to surpass. It is through them that I dreamed of being loved despite abhorring its existence since time immemorial. They made me thirst for a love that emerges among souls. One that has no name but knows to whom it belongs with.

As a way of admitting, my eyes would never fail to shed a tear after watching every episode. This season held my heart like a tiny plaything. The romantic excitement may arise, but the next second, I find myself sobbing. Bu Yeon’s teasing and careless aura had me praying for her to remain that way. It was a part of Naksu that she could have had only if life had been kinder to her. Seeing her smile often was a soothing ache in the heart. At the same time, Jang Uk’s growth occupied me with guilt. He lived almost without a purpose but to slaughter soul shifters, like his lover was. This is why, all throughout, I am with fear. I could not bear another tragic story. However, this fear made the end more fulfilling. Finally, I can weep until there is nothing to be woeful about.

Alchemy of Souls is a fragment of my life that I will cherish beyond memory. I cried, laughed, hated, and learned to forgive with them. It has the most realistic metaphor for living that I know, even when it is fueled by fantasy. The impermanence of life is indeed terrifying, however, if it is a life spent in kindness and peace, even with the raging storms, after reconciling with our greed, resentment, denial, and disquiet, then our soul beams in contentment for a life lived only once. History is not a prison, but a witness as we begin anew.