The drama "Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow" is a fantasy romance in which the main protagonists overcome and grow against the backdrop of a fictitious kingdom that does not exist in history or on maps. The title's meaning, the return of marriage, signifies that the soul of the dead returns back to life.

Lee Jae-wook and Ko Yoon-jung, in particular, were adored for exploding great thrill on the tiny screen, sketching the only love established by fate despite the confused misunderstanding.

In Alchemy of Souls Parts 1 and 2, Lee Jae-wook played Jang Wook, the noble but bad young master of the Daehoguk Jang family, completing the character who is reborn as a magician responsible for Daehoguk's fate. Ko Yoon-jung, who played Jin Jin-yeon, a mystery goddess with a face of flowing water, in Part 2 instead of Jung So-min, who played the heroine in Part 1.

It is Go Yoon-jung's first starring role in a drama, as well as the first starring role in a tvN drama. The heroine in Part 1 is Jung So-min, who portrayed Mudeok, while the heroine (actor) in Part 2 is Go Yoon-jung, who played Nak-soo in Part 1. The primary character in Part 1 was a man who was married to Mudeok's body, and the main character in Part 2 was a man who lost his memory with the face of Mudeok-i (Jin Bu-yeon), therefore only the actor changed, but the character in the play did not.

Part 1 aired from June to August 2022, and Part 2 debuted between December 2022 and January 2023. The temporal background of Part 2 is said to be three years after Part 1.

1. The plot of the drama "Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow".

The 10-episode drama "Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow Season 2" is a fantasy romance in which the main characters' fates are twisted as a result of the soul-changing "whole marriage" overcome and grows against the backdrop of a vast country that does not exist in history or on the map.

Characters are clearly present in braided character interactions. It acquired popularity in part by offering spectators with deeper and more delicate emotional lines, as well as live-action acting in contrast to the melancholy of pure love.

It is a tvN drama that aired from December 10, 2022, to January 8, 2023, directed by PD Park Joon-hwa and written by Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran, known as the "Hong Sisters." Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow is a ten-part work that combines virtual history, fantasy, martial arts, romantic comedy, action, and growth. It received the highest audience rating of 9.7%. (Nielsen Korea). The first episode has a 6.7 percent viewer rating (Nielsen Korea). Season 1 of Alchemy of Souls aired in 20 episodes from June 18 to August 28, 2022. It received the highest audience rating of 9.3%. (Nielsen Korea).

The cast includes Lee Jae-wook (played by Jang Wook), Ko Yoon-jung (played by Jin Bu-yeon), Hwang Min-hyun (played by Seo Yul), Yoo Joon-sang, Shin Seung-ho, Oh Na-ra, Jang Tae-min, Do Sang-woo, Yoo In-soo, Lee Ha-yul, Dokyung Lee, Hong Seo-hee, Jung Ji-an, Kim Yong-jin, Cho Jae-yoon, Cha Yong-hak, and others.

2. Character

Jae-wook as Jang-wook, Three years ago, at the conclusion of his life, the young master of the "Jang family" of Daeho-guk came back alive bearing an ice stone. People refer to it as a "monster catching monster" because of the force and terror it instills in them when it grabs them with ice stones. a second husband

Go Yoon-jung as Jin Jin-yeon/Nak-su - a mysterious goddess with the appearance of flowing water who, three years ago, was lithiated but was brought back to life by the evil Lee. As a result of this procedure, Jin Jin-yeon's soul dozes off briefly as her body coexists with the soul of falling water.

Oh Na-ra as Kim Do-joo, The powerful person in control of the Jang family is having an intimate moment with Park Jin after confessing his emotions for her, but he is unable to leave Wook, who is still reeling from the three-year-old tragedy.

Park Eun-hye plays Jin Ho-kyung, the director of Jin Won-won, the head of Jin's family who carries on the maternal line. Jin Won-won is a secret location within Jin's family where objects with enigmatic power are kept. You should locate a replacement for Agent Jin before your strength wanes.

Arin plays the role of Jin Cho-yeon. The incident three years ago transformed Jin Cho-yeon, who was the youngest daughter of a child, into a respectable woman. 

Seo Yul is played by Hwang Min-hyun. Due to an incident three years ago, a brilliant prince from the most illustrious Seo's family, came to his birthplace Seo Ho-seong three years ago. They battle in anguish that is unknown.

3. Planning Intention and Theme Consciousness

"Alchemy of Souls:" Part 1 concluded with 20 episodes, while Part 2 was released by the end of 2022 by combining the remaining 10 episodes. At the Alchemy of Souls:> production presentation, producer Park Joon-hwa stated, "I can't fit all the stories in the 20th episode," adding, “I made part 2.”

The drama "Alchemy of Souls" is a collaboration between "Hotel Del Luna" writers Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran, and "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?" and "Touch Your Heart" director Park Joon-hwa. Director Park assured the players who were hesitant about a new plot that had never been seen before, "Trust me and follow me," and all of the principal actors trusted and followed. The casting of young emerging stars such as Lee Jae-wook, Ko Yoon-jung, Arin, and Hwang Min-hyun drew a lot of interest even before the film was released.

Park Joon-hwa, who is in charge of the direction, stated, "Writers Hong's script is a story that anybody can enjoy and find entertaining. The dream romance drama had to express a country that had never existed or felt in history, so when the writers initially asked, “Would it be okay for me?”. I acquired confidence as a result of your help." There was an opportunity to portray the plot direction in a video after working for a year "he stated, explaining why he was directing.

"I thought about how to convey it and how to make it possible for viewers to picture fantasy, but in a way, I imagined it as a combination of known and strange things," said director Park Joon-hwa, who has primarily helmed current dramas. It might not look nice under our clothes, but I felt it could offer drama, color, and fantastical qualities. In the CG section, I concentrated on expressing the sage "He stated.

"I thought our drama should exhibit too many distinct colors," said director Park Joon-hwa. I debated which direction to shoot the action scene, but I'm hoping you'll see it while we're working with our actors. Isn't it great to play games? Everyone in our drama, including the artists and the director, develops in different ways. "I concentrated on observing the areas of growth together," he explained.

"It was content that I had never seen and could not even imagine," said actor Hwang Min-hyun, who got the script for the wedding and appeared as Seo Yul in the piece."I read it without pausing, and after reading it, my mind grew firm, so I really wanted to appear in it," he explained. Also, the story was unfamiliar to all of the performers when they read the script, and they were all quite curious about what would happen next.

The combination of young new actors and many experienced veteran actors, the script with the Hong sisters' deep sensitivity and outstanding creativity, and director Park Joon-hwa's delicate directing skills all contributed to the creation of a fresh fantasy and historical drama that touched viewers' hearts.

4. Difference between a real character and a drama

If you look at the drama-making film, it is comparable to the character portrayed by the main actor, Go Yoon-jung, although it often has a more fun appearance. He had a strong mystery image prior to his debut since he was recognized for photographing rather than talking and moving videos such as "Seoul Women's University Art Student" and "Insta Goddess." Several people say that their prior roles were either haughty or very reasonable, therefore it's surprising that they have such a sweet and fun demeanor in this job.

As the young master of the Jang family in the play, actor Lee Jae-wook displayed a lot of charisma and strength. If you watch the on-location production video, you can witness a lot of aegyo and interact and have fun with actor Ko Yoon-jung. Also, he is kind and considerate of others around him, including his coworkers.

Arin, who plays Jincho in the film, characterized himself as a star who has evolved from the youngest daughter in Part 1 to the youngest child in Part 2. In truth, Arin, who is also a member of a girl group, has something in common with the premiere in that she is the youngest member of the group who is well-liked and attracts a lot of attention, but she is much calmer than a little reckless premiere. Yet, she is appreciated by her senior actress Oh Na-ra and colleagues actors because she is the youngest on the set, similar to her part in the drama.

5. Evaluation

Even before Part 1 of "Alchemy of Souls" aired, the problem of replacing the female protagonist was a problem. At that time, rookie Park Hye-eun confirmed her participation as the lead actress in "Alchemy of Souls:" and proceeded with the filming, but she felt overwhelmed by the main role and got off after speaking with the production team.

Instead of a rookie, the production crew selected established actor Jung So-min as the new actress. By taking on the character of a spray of falling water that entered Mudeok's body through a marriage exchange and depicting a priest's romance with Lee Jae-wook, who played Jang-wook, Jung So-min won over the hearts of the audience.

Yet, "Alchemy of Souls: 2" has once more generated buzz online. There was a rumor that the heroine would switch from Jung So-min to Ko Yoon-jung when "Part 2" filming began. Part 1 of Ko Yoon-jung featured her as a fall before she lost her body in the past. The sudden replacement of the heroine raised concerns from the audience, but the program finished with mostly positive reviews thanks to the appearance and performance of the new actress Ko Yoon-jung.

It is also claimed that the actors were more pleased than anticipated with this work's spectacular effects and computer graphics, which was one of the things. Actor Lee Jae-wook replied, "It's not simple, but every gadget makes the actor better, and there's a lot to learn from it," when asked what it means to have such a late-stage device as an actor. The video technology that captures the appeal of the free fantasy genre might serve as another point to appreciate the work. In the lack of a CG source, I imagined myself wielding a knife. Yet, in the video, it is not locked in shape and comes across as not being particularly powerful.