Recap Korean Drama "Alchemy of Souls" Season 2 Episode 10

Episode 10 of Alchemy of Souls Season 2 starts with Jang-uk and Bu-yeon spending time together. This feels like the calm before the storm though, and the pair decide to make the most of their moments together. They’re unaware, of course, that Jin-mu has a brand new body he’s about to take out for a test drive.

After, the pair head off to see Master Lee, deciding he wants the two to… have a wedding! He’s there to be a witness and reveals before Jang-uk exactly who she is, including her previous incarnations of Mu-deok and Naksu. However, Bu-yeon wants to be wed by her birth name for this, Cho-Yeong. Master Lee references them as Light and Shadow, a nice way of giving a nod to the title of this second season.

In private, Jang-uk speaks to Lee and admits that most of Naksu’s memories have come back… but not all of them. The jade stone calls to Uk though, and he head out to find Naksu surrounded by a barrier. As he steps into it, he sees images of the fire bird, as a young Bu-yeon admits that this fire bird is destined to escape and dry up, eventually destroying this world. The only one who can stop this coming to pass is Jang-uk himself.

Does Jin-mu take the fire bird?

Meanwhile, the Unanimous Assembly gather while Jin-mu’s insatiable appetite, having only just turned, sees him greedy and acting rashly. In fact, after killing one of the maids, he immediately deicides to bust into Jinyowon and take out the fire bird. On his way, he comes across the Crown Prince who’s shocked to learn Jin-mu has switched bodies. Unfortunately the King is on Jin-mu’s side and decides to take the Prince’s gold plaque, meaning he’ll no longer be heir to the throne.

Jin-mu immediately shows up and holds Ho-gyeong by the throat, choking her out. Cho-yeon has no choice but to open it in order to protect her mother. Jin-mu heads in and takes the fire bird’s egg out.

Without this stored inside, Jinyowon starts to collapse. Before Jin0-mu leaves, he throws some scathing words Ho-gyeong’s way. When he walks off, she tasks Cho-yeon with getting help to bring the fire bird back no matter what, knowing that without it, everything could come undone.

In her absence, Kim shows up and learns of the horrors inside Jinyowon. She helps Ho-gyeong inside, but when Park-jin learns that his beloved is there with Hi-gyeong, he comes running to try and help. The relics are escaping though, swirling like black wraiths and screaming unnaturally at him. Park-jin realizes he needs to shut the portal, but knowing that his wife is in there, it’s a heartbreaking moment. Tears stinging his eyes, Park-jin shuts the portal and seals Kim and Ho-gyeong inside.

What happens with Jin-mu and Park-jin?

Park-jin is wracked with anger and bitter resentment off the back o this, his hand shaking with Kim’s ring in his hand. Jin-mu claims there’s a chance to save her and as a result, he’s forced to p;lay by their rules. He’s led to the Unanimous Assembly, who deduce that they want to divide up the power among all the Kingdoms, regardless of what that means for the world itself. Park-jin keeps his honour and refuses to bend to their will.

Park-jin starts to fight off the various mages, until Jin-mu decides to use his magic and open up the fire bird egg. Park-jin attempts to hold them all off whilst simultaneously using the energy to contain it… but he takes his eye off Jin-mu in the process, who shows up and stabs him through the heart.

With Park-jin downed, he’s not completely dead just yet and when the Assembly and Jin-mu both leave, Park-jin heartbreakingly places the ring on his little finger before losing consciousness and passing away.

When Jang-uk returns to the palace, he’s shocked to find out Park-jin, Kim and Ho-gyeong have been downed, explaining the three coffins we saw at the end of the previous episode. After mourning, Yul reveals the details about the fire bird and the collapse of Jinyowon, catching him up on everything that’s transpired. The coffins are also empty too, given Park-jin’s body burned while the other two are stuck under all that rubble.

Are Ho-gyeong, Kim and Park-jin really dead?

With the fire bird in their possession, Jang-uk reveals the shocking truth. The trio haven’t passed away after all! In fact, Uk has tipped the balance back in their favour.

The next scene we cut to Ho-gyeong, who’s absolutely fine aside from a few cuts and bruises. It turns out Bu-yeon created a door to allow her to enter Jinyowon from Danhyanggok. She managed to stop Jinyowon from collapsing and saved the two ladies.

Lee meanwhile, followed her instructions and head to Cheonbugwan where he found Park-jin but no fire bird. He managed to save Park-jin and prevent him from passing away from his injuries.

That night, Jang-uk shows up to see Bu-yeon, pointing out that their love has defied the odds and although they were never meant to be, they ended up falling for one another all the same. “I love you.” Bu-yeon says before collapsing into Uk’s arms.

Does the Crown Prince fulfil his destiny?

Uk shows up with the gold plaque for the Prince, handing it over and allowing him to ascend back to the position he was always destiuned to be. Uk resigns power to him, pojting out he’s already ascended the heighest of heights with the person he wanted to.

Jin-mu continues to act as a snake, whispering in the King’s ear and gathering the Unanimous Assembly as they prepare to open the egg and awaken the fire bird. Jang-uk is ready though and has plans of his own to stop the bird. As day turns to night, the Prince shows up with the Gold Plaque and tells the King that the man born under the King’s Star will stop Cheonbugwan and the awful deeds Jin-mu intends to inflict on them all.

While he pleads for the King to stand down, Songrim fight through waves of mages (despite taking out 78 of them last episode I may add!)

Is the fire bird defeated?

As for Jang-uk, he shows up at the palace and helps awaken the fire bird, smashing his sword into the ground and causing ripples to protrude out across the ground. Jin-mu watches in shock as Uk causes the entire Assembly to burn. Jin-mu is still standing and laughs until the very end, pointing out that the weak will perish but the strong will rise up.

The flames peter out after engulfing everything, leaving the entire Assembly as smoldering ruins, Dang-gu appears and reveals that Bu-yeon made it to the constellation basin in Cheonbugwan. With the fire bird safe and Bu-yeon having regained her divine powers, all our characters gather.

Bu-yeon uses her powers to send flames rippling up into the sky, which eventually awakens that fire bird. It’s not a phoenix but more a gigantic dragon, and in the wakwe of all this, Park-jin is also alive by the way, he’s not dead.

Uk fights off the fire bird, using his powers to destroy it completely and save the world. As a result, our young Bu-yeon shows up before the adult version, who passes out on the floor and confirms that the world has been saved.

How does Alchemy of Souls end?

We then jump forward 1 year later. Kim reveals to Park-jin that she’s pregnant while looking after Cho-yeon and Dang-gu’s two beautiful children. Cho-yeon and Dang-gu are going strong. Yul is now in charge of gathering pupils at Jeongjingak and there’s plenty of children looking to apply, given he’s allowing anyone to apply regardless of stature.

The Crown Prince is now the King, as before, and they’re in the process of capturing the relics that have escaped Jinyowon. 12 have been gathered thus far but there’s still more to get. As for our couple, Jang-uk and Bu-yeon are living their best life together, protecting the realm and gathering up these relics together. But of course, they’re bound to return for the twins’ birthday right?

The Episode Review

So Alchemy of Souls bows out with a happy ending, as everything is all wrapped up and there aren’t any deaths for our main ensemble after all, at least not for the good guys.

Jin-mu and the Unanimous Assembly are now dead, along with the King and Queen too, leaving the lineage in good hands with the Crown Prince, who’s obvuiously now the new King. He’s proven this season that he’s more than capable to take up the mantle and lead the Kingdom forward.

The rest of the characters each get a decent conclusion too, with Yul off training the next generation and both Bu-yeon and Jang-uk gathering up the Jinyowon relics while staying together. There’s a nice bit of yin and yang energy too, displaying Uk and Naksu as the light and shadow, which is referenced several times through this season.

This second season is not perfect, and the pace has certainly been a bit erratic at times. Despite that, there’s enough to enjoy here and fans should be pretty satisfied with how this one ends.