Welcome to the Open Thread, everyone! Thanks for joining this group watch! ❤️

As mentioned in the announcement post, these are my episode notes exactly as they originally appeared on Patreon.

ZERO SPOILER POLICY

Only events that occur in the episodes discussed here may be referenced.

No future developments, relationship outcomes, mythology reveals, major twists, or “just wait…” hints — even vague foreshadowing can affect first-time viewers.

If you’re ahead of the group watch, please keep that knowledge to yourself. Let’s protect the innocent! 😉

Since spoiler tags don’t work in email notifications, we will not be using spoiler tags in this Open Thread.

Without further ado, here are my reactions to this set of episodes. Have fun in the comments! ❤️

My thoughts

Episode 1

E1. I’d be the first to tell you that I’d originally had very little intention of checking out this show.

The reasons for that are:

1. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve managed to truly enjoy a Hong sisters drama, and I’d honestly begun to think that perhaps my taste in dramas, and their style of dramas, just don’t match anymore.

2. The last time I’d ventured into a magic-heavy kdrama was with Lovers Of The Red Sky, and that hadn’t worked out very well at all. I’d tried hard to like that show, but ended up dropping out, long before I got to the finish line.

3. The trailers that I saw gave me pretty strong C-drama xianxia vibes, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, since I’m not typically into xianxia dramas, unless it’s Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms.

Putting all that together, you could say that I just instinctively felt wary about approaching this one.

But, whaddya know – I actually enjoyed this first episode.

What a surprise!

For a start, even though Show literally throws us into the thick of a very different fantastical world, it does a pretty good job of educating us, in broad strokes, about this drama world, and the main big idea, of shifting souls.

I found that just by rolling with what Show served up, I felt like I had a pretty decent grasp of this drama world, by the end of the episode. Considering how there’s A LOT that goes on in episode 1, I’d say Show does a pretty effective and efficient job.

Also, the CGI seems very solid so far, to my uneducated eyes, and I feel sufficiently sucked into this world where magic seems to be a highly sought-after skill, and the use of it seems to be very much a norm.

As for my earlier xianxia-related concerns, I’m pretty happy with it, so far.

As far as I can tell, this show is inspired by xianxia norms, but isn’t strictly following them (say I, a person who actually hasn’t had that much exposure to the xianxia genre, ha).

From what I can tell, this drama world is a mishmash of inspirations from all over, including xianxia, as well as the Korean sageuks – never mind which dynasty. Because, in this drama world, it seems that anything goes, pretty much.

There’s no real norm in terms of hairstyle, and quite a few of our male characters have short hair, like that’s perfectly normal.

I actually rather like this “anything goes” sort of approach, because it feels quite refreshing, and it also makes it feel like it opens up a lot of narrative possibilities.

Because, if anything goes in terms of the costume and styling, then perhaps anything goes too, in terms of how our story is allowed to develop?

In terms of our characters, I am pretty stoked that this seems to be a pretty great role for Jung So Min.

I find that this taps into many of her strengths as an actor.

When she’s in Naksu mode, she channels that piercing fierceness really well. And then, when she’s just Mu Deok, she’s the complete opposite, all soft and helpless.

On top of that, there’s a nice amount of comedic touches about Naksu-as-Mu Deok, and Jung So Min delivers those funny moments really well too.

The way she leans so fully into the physical comedy, like when Naksu-as-Mu Deok hangs from that bridge, suddenly realizing that this body has no strength to pull itself up, is quite funny.

Also, the way she keeps deadpanning those voiceovers, where she decides that she will kill this person and that person, once she’s regained her strength, leans comical too.

I think it lands comically, because she’s so obviously hapless and at the mercy of others; the only thing she can do to console herself, is make all these empty-sounding promises to herself, that she will kill these useless people, the moment she regains her strength.

When Show introduces Naksu’s character, I have to admit, I thought that Naksu was the child that the King had fathered, while in the body of his mage.

But, Show clears that up later in the episode, when we see that it is in fact Lee Jae Wook’s character, Uk, who’s the secret child of the King.

And how interesting, that Uk’s official father, Jang Gang the mage (I thought Joo Sang Wook did really well, with the little that we see of him, this episode) seems to have cast a spell on him that prevents him from practicing magic.

I do wonder what drove that decision. Was it because Uk is the King’s son, and Jang Gang did that as an act of rebellion, because the King had claimed Do Hwa (who appears to have been Jang Gang’s wife) as his own?

That seems like a pretty reasonable guess?

Now that we know Uk’s birth secret, that begs the question of who Naksu really is.

Who is she, really, and why has she been groomed as an assassin?

We do see that Naksu had had a childhood connection of sorts, with Seo Yul, where he’d given her that bird whistle. I wonder what that’s about, and how and why they’d appeared to lose touch, afterwards.

I’m also curious to know why, in the soul shifting, Mu Deok doesn’t have that blue “bruise,” and instead, shows it through her eyes, as we see later in the episode.

Is it because Mu Deok is a special recipient? Or did something actually go awry in the soul shifting?

How interesting, that Uk, the one who supposedly has no magic powers, is the only one who actually notices the unique shine in Mu Deok’s eyes.

Hmm. That makes me wonder if the reason that Jang Gang had forbidden him from learning magic, has something to do with an inherent talent or power that he has, that would become too powerful and dangerous, if combined with actual magic spells..?

We end the episode with Uk breathlessly pronouncing that Mu Deok is the master whom he’s looking for, and I’m pretty pumped to see how this unfolds, in our next episode.

After how Uk’s tormented Mu Deok this episode, I’m pretty sure Mu Deok, who’s already displayed a grudge-holding petty streak, isn’t going to let this go easily, once he acknowledges her as his master. 😁

Episode 2

E2. Well this show is shaping up to be a pretty fun watch, if these first two episodes are anything to go by.

What strikes me, this episode, are the little spots of humor that are sprinkled through our story.

It’s in little beats, like how Mu Deok plays along as Uk’s maid, when Yul and Dang Gu come upon them at Songrim. Mu Deok’s expressions alternating from fierce, to fake-docile, to quizzical.

And then there’s how Dang Gu sees the dagger in Mu Deok’s hand, and praises her for trying to protect her master, which is really the opposite of what she’d been trying to do – and then saying that it’s a good thing, because her master is sooo weak that he needs the protection, heh.

And how about that scene where Uk closes the door to the secret room, and when the floor shakes, he ends up grabbing onto Mu Deok’s hair for stability. Tee hee.

Somehow, I’m quite tickled by all these little touches. I think it’s the comic timing of our actors, as they deliver the scenes, that makes it work for me the way it does.

These little spots of tongue-in-cheek funny definitely reminds me of other Hong sisters dramas from their heyday, and that is definitely a Good Thing.

This all lends a comic sort of tone to the overall proceedings, which are actually rather serious, and that makes everything land kinda-sorta like deadpan humor.

So far, this works for me quite nicely, because I think I’d find it more hard going, to try to seriously understand every single thing that goes into our drama world.

As it is right now, I’m approaching the details with a bit of a loose grip. I’m happy enough, if I kinda-sorta get how everything fits together in broad strokes, and I’m not too fussed if Show isn’t suuuper clear on how these various organizations fit together.

One important thing we do learn this episode, though, is that the Danju (what seems to be the title of the head of her assassin sect) is, in fact, Jin Mu, the Assistant Gwanju of Cheonbugwan, making him the second-in-command to Uk’s father.

We don’t know what Cheonbugwan means, but I’m thinking this just miiight be a tongue-in-cheek homonym for 全部管, ie, “taking care of everything,” and, it if is, is exactly the Hong sisters’ kinda style. 😅

This means that Jin Mu’s leading some kind of double life, where his day job is Assistant Gwanju of Cheonbugwan, while commanding a fleet of assassins by night, as the hooded Danju.

Which, of course, begs the question of what Jin Mu’s real agenda is, besides coveting the position of Gwanju, which currently belongs to Uk’s absent father.

Also, it’s just like the Hong sisters, to have Uk keep telling Mu Deok that her eyes are beautiful, not because he actually thinks so, but because he’s referring to how the soul shifter’s blue mark has bloomed in her eyes, like flowers.

It’s amusing yet rather poetic, at the same time.

And how cute, that Mu Deok then thinks to check how visible the blue marks are, in her eyes, by standing closer and closer to Uk, who then advises her that she just has to be careful when she kisses someone, ha.

This half serious, tongue-in-cheek style of banter, complete with played-straight serious expressions, is really working for me.

I actually like how Uk and Mu Deok come to learn more about each other, and come to understand each other’s situations and constraints better, this episode, while all these other things are going on around them.

Like how Mu Deok learns that Uk is very weak, and could literally die, if he falls sick. And how Uk learns that Mu Deok herself is very weak, and needs the energy from her sword, if she hopes to regain her strength.

And, I also appreciate how one of the things that keeps recurring, is the two of them, working to keep each other safe. Not so much because they really care about each other just yet, but because they need each other right now.

Like how Uk shields Mu Deok from the Gwigu (ghost dog), because he knows that they won’t let him be harmed, and how he breaks Gwigu’s pottery in order to save Mu Deok.

And there’s how Mu Deok steps away from Uk when she thinks the Gwigu’s found her, and tells him to pretend not to know her, and how Mu Deok brings Uk a warm cup of tea while he’s being punished, because she knows how weak he is.

It also feels significant, that Mu Deok tells Uk that he’s the first person she’s encountered, who’s tried to save her, instead of kill her. That feels like a big deal for Mu Deok, so I’m guessing that there will be some loyalty born out of this, at least.

It’s a bummer that Naksu’s body is burned, because this means that she’s stuck as Mu Deok – which begs the question of what’s happened to the real Mu Deok, while Naksu’s taken over her body?

So far, Show hasn’t given any answers to that, even though we’ve already seen several soul shifters turn to stone in their borrowed bodies. Doesn’t this mean that the unsuspecting hosts, whose souls we don’t know the whereabouts of, die wrongful deaths?

Speaking of wrongful deaths, it seems, from that flashback, that Naksu’s family had died wrongful deaths too, and that had been the point at which the Danju had recruited Naksu to join his fleet of assassins.

That definitely makes me curious to know the truth behind Naksu’s family’s fate. If drama convention holds, Naksu’s probably a person of secret significance.

I was really quite startled when Mu Deok jumps into the lake to kill herself, just like she’d said, because, well, this is only the beginning of our story, so she can’t possibly die now.

However, the way Show plays it, that the lake is full of mystical energy, and that’s why she was able to regain her power while in the water, so much so that she could unsheathe her sword, is pretty neat.

And, the way it’s executed, with the CGI and all, is pretty cool too.

I really like the last stretch of this episode.

First of all, I like that Uk goes to search for Mu Deok, once he realizes that it’s highly likely that she did go out there to the lake, to die.

At this point, he has no idea that he could gain anything further from her, and he still goes out there to search for her, which tells me that he does care about her, from a humane sort of perspective.

I like that sense of humanity and compassion, because up till now, all they’ve had between them, overtly, had been a tenuous agreement, that she would be his master, and he would be her pupil, if he could help her regain her energy.

And yet, even when he doesn’t believe that she can be his master anymore, he saves her, and gets her those eye drops, to treat and lighten the color in her eyes.

All these efforts by Uk to help her, might just be the reason Mu Deok hatches that audacious, crazy, risky plan, to poison him, and force those with enough energy, to open Uk’s energy gates and remove the poison from him.

Far out. It really is a risky plan, because she and Uk could both die, if things were to go wrong.

But she just goes for it anyway, and, whaddya know, it actually freaking works! I hafta love that Mu Deok’s crazy, audacious, spectacularly hazardous plan actually works, and Uk gets his energy gates opened. High risk, high gain?

Our Mu Deok’s not afraid to play big, that’s for sure.

Plus, you gotta love that amused smirk that she lets out, even as she addresses him as her pupil, before passing out.

And I do love that Uk looks as perplexed as he looks stunned and awed, by the craziness of his new master.

Ahhh. This is working out to be an unpredictable, fun ride, and I can’t wait to see how this crazy student will deal with his even crazier master, when the next episode rolls around. 😁

Next Open Thread will be up on: Sunday, 8 March 2026!