[Ishani's Picks] 3 Types Of Love We See In "Alchemy Of Souls"

One of the most popular K-Dramas on air at the moment, "Alchemy of Souls", is winning our hearts and taking over the world for its brilliant portrayal of love in the time of sorcery. Here are 3 types of love we see in "Alchemy of Souls".

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Spoiler Alert!

Starring Jung So-min, Lee Jae-wook, Hwang Minhyun, and more, "Alchemy of Souls" revolves around soul shifting and soulmates. It tells the story of Naksu (Go Youn-jung), a feared shadow assassin who swaps her soul with a weak peasant girl, Mudeok (Jung So-min), and gets involved with Jang Uk (Lee Jae-wook), who recognizes her at once. She takes him in as a pupil and trains him to become a great mage who will help her regain her powers.

With the popularity, production value, and extraordinary storytelling of "Alchemy of Souls", it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it is also one of the finest fantasy narratives to come out of South Korea. At the same time, it is also a story of profound, transcendent love.

The first and perhaps the most obvious expression of love we see in "Alchemy of Souls" is romantic love. Jang Uk grows fond of Mudeok in the time they spend together, both as a Young Master and his maid as well as a teacher and his student. At the same time, Mudeok finds herself falling in love with him even though it was nowhere close to her original plan. After a short period of separation, when Jang Uk has to train in isolation in Songrim and Mudeok must stay back at home, they open their hearts to each other through metaphorical letters. With complications of soul shifting in the way, it will be interesting to see how their love perseveres.

The second form of love we see in "Alchemy of Souls" is platonic love. Jang Uk and Mudeok have a close-knit circle of friends who stand up for them and each other at all times. This includes Seo Yul (Hwang Minhyun), Park Dang-goo (Yoo In-soo), Jin Cho-yeon (Arin), and at times, even Crown Prince Go Won (Shin Seung-ho)! There's a sense of purity and innocence in this love that is truly admirable.

Finally, the third form of love in "Alchemy of Souls", parental love, constantly teaches us about its layered complexity. Jang Uk was brought up by his mother's maidservant, Kim Do-joo (Oh Na-ra) whereas Park  Jin (Yu Jun-sang) assumed the role of a father figure. Kim Do-joo is doting, gentle, and loving towards Jang Uk whereas Park  Jin is authoritative, stern, and unrelenting. He comes off as restrictive, holding Jang Uk back from accomplishing anything major in life. Naturally, Jang Uk doesn't understand this behavior and rebels against him. However, Park Jin's only motive is to protect Jang Uk at all costs so that he can live an ordinary, uneventful life, far from the tragedy that he is fated for. The love Park  Jin has for Jang Uk is immeasurable yet misunderstood, but that is a burden he is ready to bear if that means keeping him safe.

With "Alchemy of Souls" being extended with ten more episodes than originally planned, I cannot wait to see how the dynamics of these relationships transform and affect the plot. If you haven't started watching "Alchemy of Souls" yet, jump on the bandwagon because you're going to love every second of it.

By Ishani Sarkar.

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"Alchemy of Souls" is directed by Park Joon-hwa, written by Hong Jeong-eun, Hong Mi-ran, and features Lee Jae-wook, Jung So-min, Oh Na-ra, Joo Sang-wook, Bae Gang-hee, Go Youn-jung. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2022/06/18~Now airing, Sat, Sun 21:10 on tvN.