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 11

E11. Aw. Poor Uk. Last episode, I’d been quite pleased with where we ended the episode, because not only does Uk acknowledge his feelings, he articulates it too – and we hear Mu Deok acknowledge them in her own way, in voiceover.

Granted, Mu Deok doesn’t actually want to embrace the feelings that are growing between her and Uk, and this episode, she undoes all the progress we got last episode, by telling Uk that he’s essentially been poisoned.

Poor ol’ Uk, he really is so hurt by this, that he becomes disillusioned with regards to his training, and he’s also painfully embarrassed, thinking that his feelings for Mu Deok are not actually reciprocated.

It doesn’t help at all, that Dang Gu gets all excited by the (completely wrong) idea that Yul and Mu Deok absolutely, definitely have feelings for each other.

If only Uk knew the truth, which is that Mu Deok does like him too – but just isn’t willing to admit it.

Also. If only Mu Deok knew the truth, which is that if she’d just be honest with Uk that she likes him too, his motivation levels to train would go shooting right up, and she wouldn’t need to resort to this elaborate bet with the Crown Prince.

That said, I did find the bet quite amusing, in that in the end, the Crown Prince ends up providing a platform for Uk to fight some of the best mages at Jeongjingak, at the cost of his own golden toads – but he doesn’t even want that jade egg, now that he learns that it must be part of a pair. Tee hee.

I do feel bad for Uk, though, because through this whole thing, he just feels more and more hurt that Mu Deok appears to treat his feelings so cheaply.

I would be upset too, in his shoes, because if that jade egg was so precious to her, then she wouldn’t have bet it so easily, particularly since there’s a real chance that Uk might not be able to win it back.

I’m still low-key amused by the love triangle that’s forming between Maidservant Kim, Park Jin and Master Lee.

It’s so dorky-cute that Master Lee becomes so taken by Maidservant Kim, that he’d come to seek her out, and bring her flowers. Given his chaste tea training, I’m surprised that he’d acknowledge his affection like this.

Even though Park Jin’s efforts to retaliate are pretty awkward and far from smooth, it does seem like Maidservant Kim’s feelings for Park Jin go back a long way – which is why I get the sense that Master Lee’s not going to end up getting his girl, aw.

I do like the little loveline between Dang Gu and Cho Yeon, because they appear to be equally dorky to me, and I think they make a cute couple.

I hadn’t realized, though, that their romance would be complicated by their respective family situations – but how useful, in that it pushes our narrative forward, since Dang Gu tells Park Jin about Jin Mu’s plan to “find” Bu Yeon for the Jin family.

In the meantime, I am intrigued by the flashback, where we see that Madam Jin had begged Jang Gang to save Bu Yeon as a baby, saying that the ice stone has the ability to bring back the souls of the dead.

So.. Bu Yeon had died in the womb, and the only reason she’d been born alive, is because Jang Gang had used the magic of the ice stone on her?

..Is that why Bu Yeon had been born physically compromised (blind), but had had the special ability to discern energy?

Gosh, what does this even mean..? Was Bu Yeon really alive, or would she also be classified as the semi-alive, like the soul-shifters who are only alive because of magic..? Innteresting. 🤔

My guess last episode, that So-I had been kidnapped as part of Jin Mu’s plan to “find” Bu Yeon, turns out to be correct – yay me? 😁

I’m also not surprised by the fact that Sol-I would be willing to do anything in order to stay alive. She does have that scrappy, amoral vibe about her.

Dang. The way she was able to not flinch at all, when that shard of broken glass was flying right to her eye, is something else. She’s got nerves of steel – which is probably helpful, if she’s going to have to survive around the likes of Jin Mu. 😅

I have to say, I was completely taken by surprise by Jin Mu’s plan, to use Fake Bu Yeon to lure Madam Jin to his secret lair, so that he’d be able to shift someone else’s soul into her body. Woah.

So that’s his plan to take over Jinyowon then..? I don’t know why I feel surprised; after all, this is completely in line with Jin Mu’s shady characterization, and he certainly has no real fondness for his stepsister, after the way she’s treated him.

I was also shocked to see that Madam Jin’s husband, Jin Woo Tak, turns out to be one of Jin Mu’s shady accomplices. What..? So Madam Jin’s husband is in on the plan to evict her soul from her body, through deception and trickery?

I do wonder if he’s playing double agent, though. As in, perhaps his loyalties aren’t to Jin Mu, but to his wife, and he’s just pretending to cooperate with Jin Mu, in order to protect his wife..?

Meanwhile, I’m very much looking forward to see how Uk actually grows more powerful from fighting all these various mages at Jeongjingak, like Mu Deok says. And surely that will make it possible for him to get back that jade egg?

Also, I really hope that Mu Deok will put Uk out of his misery, and let him know that truth, that the feelings between them are mutual.

Or.. y’know, Uk finding out the truth, against Mu Deok’s wishes, is fine too. Just as long as he’s not still miserable, thinking that he’s liking her all by his lonesome self. 😁

Episode 12

E12. I’m beginning to see why folks like JJ like fantasy shows so much; when in the hands of writers who (so far, anyway, seem to) know what they’re doing, there is so much possibility to mine.

Because we are in a fantasy world where magic is the order of the day, there’s a lot of room for our writers to take our story in unexpected directions.

Also, I realize that just the existence of those possibilities, keeps me on my toes somewhat, because I can’t write off certain plot directions. Our writers could literally go in just about any direction, and it could work – if they play their cards well, and so far, they have been.

All in all, that is a pretty cool thing, in my opinion.

This episode, I like the way Show pulls together the two threads, of the soul-shifter arc, and Uk competing with other mages, in an effort to get back the jade egg that he’d given Mu Deok.

On the surface, these two look like two completely separate arcs, but by the time we reach the end of the episode, it feels like they’re tied together quite nicely, and I rather like that.

Even though I do think that Mu Deok was being rather cruel in the way she forced Uk into this situation, by offering up the jade egg as ransom, I do like that this gives them something to focus on together.

The scene of Mu Deok doing a post-mortem of the most recent fight with Uk, analyzing what he could have done better, and how he could have avoided losing, feels fruitful and useful.

I also like how there’s an aura of satisfaction about Uk, as he shows Mu Deok his new ability to harness energy with his hand. Mu Deok looking all proud of him, as his Master, is very gratifying to see as well.

Those little beats, where they show concern for each other, are like catnip to me.

I love that Uk is all concerned about Mu Deok getting enough rest, and nutritious food, and fusses over her changing her dirty shoes.

And in turn, I love how Mu Deok gets all concerned when Uk mentions that he has more wounds than she can see, and starts to feel him up, asking where else he’s been hurt.

Aw. The idea that these two can’t help but let the mutual care and concern spill out into the open, gives me the warm fuzzies. 🥰

The very fact that Uk doesn’t even seem that angry with Mu Deok, for not seeming to care about their shared jade eggs, really endears him to me.

It feels like he’s picked up on the fact that this process is helping him to grow stronger, faster, and the way he’s rolling with that, and embracing that, without seeming to hold a grudge against Mu Deok, really increases my fondness for him.

And, it seems it might be causing Mu Deok to waver a little more towards him, too. It definitely gives her pause, at least, particularly when she realizes that he plans to give her the egg again, once he gets it back.

Augh. After she’d given up that egg for ransom so recklessly, I feel like most people in Uk’s position wouldn’t risk giving it to her again. But not Uk. He’s so intent on getting it back, and then sharing it with her again, that I find that incredibly swoony.

His unwavering affection for and trust in her, is what’s making me melt.

Of course, that little side arc, where Uk and the Crown Prince are so drawn to each other because of the energies coming from the respective jade eggs in their possession, is quite funny.

Muahaha. I have to admit that I enjoyed that moment a little too much; I was gleefully waiting for the realization and disgust to register, particularly on the Crown Prince’s side of things, because I could just imagine how annoyed it would make him feel. 🤭

This also makes me wonder how the eggs’ ability to share energy will factor into Mu Deok’s quest to regain her energy. I’m sure the eggs have some significance, now that we know that they’re kinda like conductors of shared energy?

Of course, through all of this, Mu Deok isn’t immune to her feelings for Uk either.

The way she looks like she’s been slapped in the face, when she walks into Uk’s chambers and sees Yun Ok there, definitely says a lot, as does the fact that she later asks Uk not to go back to his chambers to change his clothes, and that she would fetch his clothes for him instead.

Uh-huh. Pretty sure our Mu Deok’s starting to feeling jealous of Yun Ok, not because of anything Uk’s said or done, but for the pure fact that Yun Ok’s better positioned to be Uk’s romantic interest.

While Mu Deok’s just his maid, Maidservant Kim’s actively hoping that Yun Ok is the person to whom Uk’s given his heart.

Since Mu Deok does have feelings for Uk, I’m not surprised that she can’t help but feel a bit territorial.

On the soul-shifting side of things, I’m admittedly less interested in the specific happenings around the latest soul-shift.

But, I do like how Park Jin gets Yul to impart some energy to the dead soul-shifter’s body, in order to prove that the death has to do with sorcery, and thus gain Songrim access to the case. That was pretty clever, I thought.

I do have reservations about how this might affect Yul, though, since Park Jin does mention that this might drain Yul of his energy.

Through all of this, it is becoming clearer, what Naksu’s role had been, in Jin Mu’s elaborate Soul Shifters Inc. arrangement.

Her job had been to kill off the discarded soul-shifted bodies, so that the victims of forced soul-shifting would be silenced, while the perpetrating soul-shifters got to live their lives in their new bodies.

Huh. And Jin Mu had managed to convince her, that all this killing was in service of her getting revenge for the death of her father?

That’s messed up. Poor Naksu / Mu Deok.

I’m beginning to see that even if she were to get her energy back, she’d also need a whole new path and purpose in life, because everything that she’d ever believed, has turned out to be a lie.

I find it sweet that Uk, learning about this because he overhears Park Jin’s conversation with Master Lee, finds ways to comfort and care for Mu Deok.

The way he gets a hot mugwort massage, so that he can pass that warmth to Mu Deok via a hug, is really endearing to me. And, he passes it off as taking her advice, and getting her to verify it – clever!

This episode, Show shines the spotlight on the troublesome fact that Mu Deok, is, in fact, a soul-shifter.

First, we have Yul talking about the implications with Uk, where he outlines the basic path of a soul-shifter, that they become monsters once they need to start feeding on the energy of others, and how it’s their duty to protect the world from such monsters.

That’s pretty ominous, considering that the way to protect the world from such monsters so far, has involved killing them.

But Uk, unmoved from his desire to protect Mu Deok, reframes it as protecting the monsters from the world, where, as long as they keep the monsters in check, all is good, not just for the world, but for the monsters too.

I like that idea, but at this point, I don’t know how he’s going to achieve that for Mu Deok, without her ending up taking energy from others. I guess he must be thinking of the ice stone?

I basically like how Uk’s always thoughtful and protective of Mu Deok.

The way he volunteers to go with her on her errand to Cheonbugwan, and then fast-talks a way for them to get inside, is also out of consideration for her, and I like that she picks up on it. At least she knows that he’s doing this for her.

It’s too bad that they get stuck in that constellation room, when leaking-petrifying (ew) Eunuch Kim comes in, followed by Jin Mu.

For a hot second, I really thought that Uk would end up getting soul-shifted, since this is the second attempt on his body, so I’m hugely relieved that that’s not the case.

It’s great that he manages to escape the magic barrier that Jin Mu puts around him, powered by thoughts of Mu Deok, and it’s good that Mu Deok doesn’t end up having the energy sucked out of her by Eunuch Kim, but.. what an unexpected conundrum that she ends up sucking the energy outta him.

Ooh. Aside from my immediate reaction of, “HA. Leaky dude had that coming!,” I’m very quickly concerned, just like Mu Deok’s concerned.

Now that she’s fed on one person’s energy, will that make her hungry for more? Or is this an optional thing for her, since she’s survived just fine for so long without needing to feed on anyone?

It’s touching to me, that Mu Deok, who’s been fairly consistent in keeping her interactions with Uk on the more transactional side of things, is so insistent on keeping him away from her now, in order to protect him.

She’s literally worried that he will die, if she allows him to touch her, because she might instinctively suck his energy out of him.

AND YET. Uk, all intent, just moves forward to hold her to himself, despite the risk. He’s all in with his love for her, and my gosh, this has me in a flailing puddle. 🫠

Next Open Thread will be up on: Sunday, 12 April 2026!