Alchemy of Souls

Lore & Background

The series follows the story of an elite warrior named Naksu whose soul is accidentally trapped inside the weak body of Mu-deok. She becomes entangled with Jang Uk, a nobleman, and becomes his servant and master, teaching him her skills as they fall in love. Part 1 aired from June 18 to August 28, 2022, for 20 episodes. Part 2, set three years after a tragedy engineered by Jin Mu that led Mu-deok to run wild and kill innocent people, follows Jang Uk, who returned from the dead due to the Ice Stone inside his body, as he becomes a ruthless hunter of soul shifters. He meets the mysterious heiress of Jinyowon, Jin Bu-yeon, whose words echo those of Naksu.

Reader's Guide

Alchemy of Souls is significant as a major Korean fantasy drama that achieved high viewership, ranking second (tied with Our Blues) in streaming for Netflix Korea TV show category from January to December 22, 2022. The series was notable for its two-part structure and the replacement of the female lead actress Jung So-min with Go Youn-jung for Part 2, after Go previously portrayed the original identity of Jung's character in a cameo in Part 1. The production involved a ₩5 billion filming site built in Mungyeong, and filming locations included Nongwoljeong Pavilion in Hamyang County, Goseokjeong Pavilion in Cheorwon County, and CJ ENM Studio Center in Paju. The series was developed under the working title 'Can This Person Be Translated' and faced a temporary filming halt in October 2021 due to a staff member testing positive for COVID-19.

Did You Know?

• Filming was temporarily canceled in October 2021 after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
• The female lead role was first offered to Park Hye-eun, who left the series in July 2021 due to scheduling conflicts and personal reasons.
• A ₩5 billion filming site was built in Mungyeong for the production.

Narrative Architecture & World-Building

The series is set in a fictional nation called Daeho, where young mages navigate their destinies shaped by a forbidden spell. The core mechanic is the Alchemy of Souls — a magic that permits souls to transfer between bodies. Part 1 centers on Naksu, an elite warrior whose spirit is accidentally lodged in the frail body of Mu-deok. From there, she becomes entangled with Jang Uk, a member of a noble household, serving as both his servant and his instructor in martial and magical arts. Their bond deepens into romance. Part 2, subtitled Light and Shadow, jumps three years forward after a tragedy orchestrated by Jin Mu causes Mu-deok to go on a killing spree. Jang Uk, resurrected by the Ice Stone within him, transforms into a cold, isolated hunter of soul shifters, haunted by grief. He crosses paths with Jin Bu-yeon, the enigmatic heiress of Jinyowon, whose speech patterns unsettlingly mirror Naksu's.

Casting Turbulence & Production Scale

Preparations began as early as 2019 under the working title Can This Person Be Translated. The female lead was initially confirmed for Park Hye-eun, but in July 2021 she mutually departed the project, citing the pressure of headlining such a large production despite being a rookie. Jung So-min, who had previously collaborated with director Park Joon-hwa on Because This Is My First Life in 2017, stepped into the role. For Part 2, Go Youn-jung — who had already appeared in Part 1 as the original identity behind Jung's character — assumed the lead. The production's physical scale was enormous: Studio Dragon and High Quality partnered with Mungyeong to construct a five-billion-won filming site in Maseong-myeon. Locations spanned Nongwoljeong Pavilion, Goseokjeong Pavilion, and CJ ENM Studio Center in Paju. A single positive COVID-19 test in October 2021 halted filming for a week, with all crew undergoing PCR testing.

Ensemble Cast & Character Layers

The series features a deeply layered casting structure. Lee Jae-wook anchors the lead as Jang Uk, with Park Sang-hoon portraying his younger self. The dual-casting of the female protagonist is particularly notable: Jung So-min plays Mu-deok, Naksu after the soul swap, and Jin Bu-yeon as Mu-deok's birth name, while Go Youn-jung embodies Naksu in her original body and reappears as Jin Bu-yeon in Part 2. Hwang Min-hyun rounds out the lead trio as Seo Yul, with Moon Seong-hyun as his younger counterpart. The supporting ensemble is organized by faction — the Jang family, the Seo family, Songrim, Sejukwon, Cheonbugwan, the Jin family of Jinyowon, and the royal household — each with multiple named roles. Special appearances include Yeom Hye-ran as a mysterious middle-aged woman and the group Egyul Band, adding texture to the world.

Airing Structure & Streaming Footprint

Alchemy of Souls aired on tvN in a distinctive two-part format. Part 1 ran for 20 episodes from June 18 to August 28, 2022, while Part 2 — Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow — delivered 10 episodes from December 10, 2022, to January 8, 2023. Both parts occupied the Saturday-and-Sunday 21:10 KST slot, a prime-time weekend position. The roughly three-month gap between parts created a significant narrative pause. Beyond its broadcast run, the series found a streaming audience on TVING and on Netflix in select territories. Its international streaming performance was notable: from January through December 22, 2022, it ranked second in the Netflix Korea TV show category, tied with Our Blues. This placement underscored the show's sustained viewership well beyond its initial airing window.