Entering and Exiting Songrim

Episode 10 of Alchemy of Souls starts with Kim preparing Jang-Uk’s home for when he returns from Songrim. She’s convinced that he’s going to come back with a wife. ..

In a heated argument, Mu-Deok and Kim verbally trade disagreements over this. Still, that doesn’t stop Mu-Deok from having doubts about Jang-Uk’s true affection and whether Kim may actually be right.

Jang-Uk finishes the Songrim education in record time, so he should be allowed to leave the academy soon, right? ..

Park Jin throws a curveball at him. He has another book Jang-Uk needs to read and memorize, and only then will be get to go outside. Unfortunately, this is not as easy as Jang-Uk believes, and as he sits at the table, he flicks through the pages and notices that the entire book is blank. ..

Jang-Uk is stuck inside because he has to focus on the words to spring forth and reveal themselves. This is Master Seo-Gyeong’s book, Words of the Heart, and as such it is not going to be anywhere near as easy a task as before. For now, Jang-Uk is stuck inside.

Dang-Gu, Yul, and the others try to figure out how long Jang-Uk will be here for, with the current bets at around 6 months or so. On Jang-Uk’s first day, he attempts a litany of different experiments to reduce that time and prove everyone wrong, including ink and fire. Eventually he settles on the good old fashioned idea of…running away. ..

Meanwhile, Yul and Mu-Deok continue their search for an umbrella. They find one in a market but when they try to use it, they realize that the handle is broken. Yul comes up with an excuse about the umbrella and they continue their search together. Jang-Uk ends up heading home because he enjoys the sweet treats on offer and is ready for a bath.

This week’s episode of “Love in the Moonlight” focused on the continuing love story between Dang-Gu (played by Kim Soo Hyun) and Cho-yeon (played by Yoona). The two continue to fight for each other’s love, even when things get tough. This week’s episode of “Love in the Moonlight” focused on the continuing love story between Dang-Gu (played by Kim Soo Hyun) and Cho-yeon (played by Yoona). The two continue to fight for each other’s love, even when things get tough. ..

The three sisters debate about when to break up with their significant other. Dang-Gu believes they need to go all out and make it believable, including a big argument and a slap. Eventually, though, the pair decide to postpone for a few days. Cho-Yeon signals her interest in Dang-Gu with her finger on the stem of her bowl. There is definitely romance there! ..

Meanwhile, a thief from the last episode is spotted in the market trying to take another trinket. The two women whom she robbed originally chase her through the bustling streets, until she spies Mu-Deok.

A young girl is seen walking down the street, when a thief jumps out and grabs her bag. The girl screams and tries to run away, but the thief is quickly cornered by a group of thugs. We learn that the girl’s name is So-I, and she’s wanted by a few people for theft. The thugs demand their money back from the thief, who eventually gives in and hands it over. ..

With the situation looking dire, it’s Yul who comes to the rescue. He suddenly appears and uses his umbrella to thwart all of the attackers. ..

When Mu-Deok finally learns that Jang-Uk has shown up back home, she arrives too late and he ends up leaving. Mu-Deok races across the town to try and find him, eventually tracking him down on the dock. Ironically, it’s precisely where we first met Mu-Deok all those episodes ago, as she held on for dear life.

Jang-Uk, the poet, is traveling back to Songrim, the birthplace of his poetry. Mu-Deok, his friend and fellow poet, wishes him a safe journey back. ..

Elsewhere, Jin-Mu bemoans how the Crown Prince has grown closer to Jang-Uk after their match. He heads into the basement, convinced that his next plan will cause the Prince to turn on Jang-Uk. This seems to involve a collection of giant urns holding something inside that will apparently work to subdue Jin Ho-Gyeong. Jin-Mu’s target for now is Jinyowon and he’s confident it’ll be his soon. ..

Jang-Uk is taken aback by the offer, but Hemp Master Lee insists that he become his pupil. Jang-Uk is hesitant at first, but then reconsiders after learning that the book is actually a love letter. He agrees to learn from Hemp Master Lee and eventually becomes his disciple.

Jang-Uk is surprised to hear that Mu-Deok is heading to Songrim. She has found a loophole in the form of Mu-Deok entering a contest to become a maid within Songrim. Jang-Uk is curious to learn more about this and what implications it may have for her future.

The Crown Prince, Yul, and Dang-Gu all learn about this too and check over the questions. There are some trick questions in here, and the Prince is absolutely convinced that Mu-Deok will fail.

In order to pass the final exam, the Prince must deliver the perfect questions while everyone is distracted. He does just that, dropping off the perfect questions while everyone is outside. ..

The physical test was more difficult to fake than the exam, but Mu-Deok was skilled in cooking, cleaning and using a blade, so she passed it all – including the fitness test at the last second. ..

Jang-Uk is checking up on Park Jin. Park Jin encourages the boy to have patience and probe over the origins of this book, where we learn that the leader of Jinyowon couldn’t see and that is the person whom this love letter is for. The name of this first leader? Well, her name is Seol-Ran.

This letter, written by Jang-Uk, definitely has connotations of love. It is poetic and brings together beautiful imagery and sentences that make the reader feel the emotion.

After Mu-Deok and Uk both pass their respective tests, Park Jin realizes that Mu-Deok has been instrumental in helping Jang-Uk all this time. He seems to realize she isn’t just a lowly maid after all… but will he learn the truth about her? ..

The Episode Review

This episode of Alchemy of Souls is another strong one, with Mu-Deok’s competition to become a maid in Songrim being the main focus. This makes for an interesting story line that is well-told and keeps the viewer engaged.

Lee and Park-Jin’s guidance helped him crack the code and it didn’t take him six months after all!

There are some intriguing love triangles cropping up in the middle of all this though, which is likely to cause some spanners in the work going forward. Maidservant Kim is caught in the middle of both Park Jin and Hemp Master Lee, while both Yul and Jang-Uk are both pining for Mu-Deok.

This week’s Alchemy of Souls double-bill features two of South Korea’s most popular shows, with both genres managing to stay on track. Jin-Mu and Jang-Uk are both excellent actors and their chemistry is clear from the start. However, the balance of the show is key to its success, as it helps steer it into romance territory while still keeping its fantasy elements in check. It’ll be interesting to see how Jin-Mu plays into all this though and how he intends to thwart Jang-Uk and the others going forward.