Gosh, hearing this confirmed news still gives me a visceral reaction and it’s not a positive one. But then again, the Hong Sisters could have their grand plan mapped out from the beginning for Alchemy of Souls, what with the soul swapping and the multiple seasons. On the cusp of the finale of the drama billed as season 1 with 20-episodes, tvN has confirmed that season 2 with only 10-episodes will air in December 2022. The full cast will return with Lee Jae Wook, Minhyun, Shin Seung Ho, et. al., other than female lead Jung So Min. The new female lead will be played by Go Yoon Jung, who basically had a cameo in episode 1 as the character whose soul went into the body played by Jung So Min. I actually liked Go Yoon Jung in her short but memorable scenes but Jung So Min has spent the last 18-episodes as the female lead and building up the chemistry with all the characters. It’s just that kind of rug pulled out from under the viewer decision making that leaves me sighing. This could work in a book since we picture the characters but in a televised version its hard not to get connected with the actor/actress playing the role.
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I prefer Go Yoon Jung as Naksu. JSM acting is not my favorite. I almost dropped it because of her weird line delivery. Not convinced at all as Naksu.
And this show has pacing problems, they better improve it in part 2.
I mostly keep watching it for Lee Jae Wook and Shin Seung Ho. These two are very good.
you mean her accent? cmiiw she used countryside dialect because of mudeok is from small village.
one thing i hate about changing the female leads is the fanwar between jsm fans and gyj fans
in tiktok and twitter aos fandom is a mess. this naksu versus buyeon
and who is deserves better life polling
the fanwar is getting annoying
I knew about the countryside dialect, I don't have any problem with it. It's more like her overall line delivery is not working for me. Her acting and performance is not convincing at all as Naksu.
I just saw about fanwars. They're so annoying. AoS fandom is definitely a mess.
I don’t want somin to be replaced!
you have so many complains special about Jung So Min who has awesome acting skills and made the drama , nobody make you watch the drama, so don’t watch 19, 20 and Season 2 and your problem is solved
I loved all the main actors. So Min was amazing. The chemistry between her and Jae Wook is undeniable and made me watch even more. She didn't have to play much of Naksu so not sure why the other girl said she wasn't convincing. I'm here for the long haul. I will cry for sure when it's over.
I like this part of the comments the most😃😃😃
True.
Naksu's soul is in the body of JSM. so what you are saying is you don't like both. bcs, JSM plays a naksu in his body. Also, JSM very funny every time a quarrel with his master. I love they chemistry.
All this hate you people keep spewing at Alchemy of Souls is horrendous. Stop belittling actors you don’t even know personally. Write your own drama if you think you’re so good
Like the movie watched Jessica she didn’t watch the movie if they want season 2 to be better they should not change any actor or actress naksu died already let mu deok live!!!
if they want season 2 to be better they should not change any actor or actress naksu died already let mu deok live!!!
I just love the show no matter who the character is. The reason i watched because i loved how it was written its just amazing but i hope that jsm is still in season 2 but not as naksu,,just a random character,,that's all no hard feelings.
I like gyj naksu to come back and jsm as buyeon. Leads will be UK and mudeok with yul and naksu.
Well you haven't watch your so called Go Yoon Jung scenes, all she did was just a scene so wait till the season 2 is out before judging 🧐
Did you even watch the movie at all
Bullshit she was best part of show
NO! Jung SoMin is the best. I love this drama because of her. She’s a really talented actress.
Please come back JSM n be Mudoek.
I loved Jung So Min’s snarkiness and quirkiness. Will miss her greatly. And I loved the pacing of this series. Only wish I didn’t have to wait until December!
I completely agree with you no hate infact she is my fav since playfull kiss till now but i also did not like her acting infact for a while i thought that GYJ would have been better.I mean that powerfull character doesnt suit her even the acting i found weird it seems she put lot of efforts but still I am feeling bad cz of the character mudeok and how the story will turn out with main lead(Pupil) with some other feamle lead 8 think it will be hard to digest
Hater!! Well in this Life everyone must not like you and be satisfied with what you do xo I'm not surprised.i guess you think it's easy to Act.i will love to see you try .
I love both Actress and I'm surprised some people ain't appreciative of JSM acting.mostly because they don't understand what they are watching
Dont hate sis, congratulate. smh
I find it's unfair to the new actress Go Yoon Jung. Jung So Min already played as FL in 20 episodes, GYJ only become FL only for 10 episodes when the viewers were used to with JSM. JSM is a veteran established actress who has many fans, also the oldest and the most famous name in main casts. Now, JSM's fans are throwing hate to GYJ everywhere. They have to understand it's all based on the plots, nothing to do with actress.
It's sad to see when they attacked a young rookie actress for no reason.
Dont hate the actress GYJ shes hurting a lot .because shes very hard working dont judge her.. and dont hate it because its her job as an actress to be in film dont judge the hong sisters easily so lets support her to be a good actress (Female Lead)◜‿◝❤
Dont hate the actress GYJ shes hurting a lot .because shes very hard working dont judge her.. and dont hate it because its her job as an actress to be in film dont judge the hong sisters easily so lets support her to be a good actress (Female Lead)◜‿◝❤
Dont hate the actress GYJ shes hurting a lot .because shes very hard working dont judge her.. and dont hate it because its her job as an actress to be in film dont judge the hong sisters easily so lets support her to be a good actress (Female Lead)◜‿◝❤
Dont hate the actress GYJ shes hurting a lot .because shes very hard working dont judge her.. and dont hate it because its her job as an actress to be in film dont judge the hong sisters easily so lets support her to be a good actress (Female Lead)◜‿◝❤
I prefer to have so min as lead actress, she is amazing, I only watched drama because of her. I have no interested on other cast.I am not goin to watch it if they replace main female actress.
P.s new crush 😍 is our crown prince
I agree with you as well! I love watching JSM and Lee Jae Wook have really good chemistry. I waited every Saturday and Sunday to watch them. They are so funny together. So, I have nothing against the other actress but I definitely will miss JSM. I’m not sure if I still want to watch season 2 though. All Season 1 characters and actors are just perfect for me. I watched JSM since her performance in Playful Kiss. She’s absolutely adorable.
Definitely me to am not going to watch 😞
Sorry for you . Then don't watch season 2 bye bye for you
Yes same 🙌
Come on... Full season we watched bcoz of her acting skill and good story plot.. There is no need to bring naksu in second season bcoz viewer cannt connect with new lead actress... Makers or writer can do this thing that let mu deok and naksu story keep alive side by side... Hope season2 cast mu deok as lead actress... If not then it will be a waste season without her
Excited!
So who will be the Male Lead?
It's Lee Jae Wook of course. He did very great job. There is no way they would drop him.
IMHO, considering the "physical appearance", Go Yoon Jung role as Naksu can only be written:
- Before the soul-shifting, which is when she is still assasin Naksu. Thus the ML is likely Yul
- Or the drama will surprise us, and apparently gwanju still keep Naksu's deadbody in their fridge, and then she can be revived by soul-shifting again. Then the ML will be Uk.
This is not prequel. It's sequel after part 1. Jang Uk is the main character when his story is a lot left to feature. It's not matter who ends up with Naksu, Jang Uk being the centered main character would not change. Lee Jae Wook is male lead chosen by Hong Sisters and currently K-netizens's favorite because of his acting skills.
I wouldn't watch it if Yul is ML in part 2. Sorry to say but that actor is only a pretty face with wooden acting. If it's not Lee Jae Wook, Shin Seung Ho could be ML anyway. It's unlikely they would change it when Lee Jae Wook is carrying this show. There are many praises for Lee Jae Wook's acting. I'm not even a fan of him, I know he is so good.
Then go act urself if u're so good
I have a mixed feeling about it. It's not because of the actress. This drama's writing already went downhill at second half. The casts are doing very well to save it. There are a lot of unnecessary scenes and giving many screentimes to unnecessary characters. I want it to focus on the main story and main characters. I love all the main characters. Jang Uk is my favorite. I am so happy that Lee Jae Wook is still in part 2. He is doing incredible job as Uk.
I hope the writing would get better in part 2.
Am I the only one who does not want season 2? I love the actors, especially Lee Jae Wook. Alchemy of Souls is a hot mess already. Jae Wook is very talented and so young. He deserves the better dramas for his future career. It would be a waste of time. He needs to hit bigger before military service.
Lee Jae Wook was born in 1998. Currently 24 years old, one of the youngest male leads in this industry right now. He still has a few more years before Military service, coz some of 1994-born actors still haven't left for military service yet. I think he will be fine.
He is 24 y/o? Wow! Even younger than Yeo Jin Goo and Cha Eun Woo? He really looks mature and acts very well. I'm very impressed. Rooting for him.
It's true he still has a few years before military service. He spent many times with AoS and I feel like it somehow wasted. Because he could act in fan favorite romcom type or something to boost his popularity while he is still under 25. They should cast him in webtoon adaptation drama.
I agree with you. I don't want season 2 at all. He needs to run away from this mess. Fans in Twitter are already fighting and he was sandwiched between both sides. It's crazy. I want him to peacefully act in a normal drama, like a romcom or thriller. He suits with many genres. Hope he would be casted with an actress from same age group next time.
At this point, I don't really care anymore. JSM and LJW don't have any chemistry. It's pretty obvious on the BTS. JSM looks more confortable with the other actors. I really like JSM as an actress, but I don't think she fitted the role, she was too much in the weak maid part and not enough in the assassin one. But she couldn't prepare for it, the change of actress was not a good idea. I'm not a fan of the ML neither, I don't really like how he was written.
I like JSM but it's like she is bothered by this role . A the beginnig she was good but after it was as something happened ( script? misunderstanding with the crew's production ? ) . I don't mind anymore as the drama went downhill . Yes, it's the first time that she doesn't have chemistry with her costar . It's not because of the age gap as she looks young and LJW older than his age . She had fantastic chemistry with Kang Ji Hwan years ago and the age gap was about 12 years . I'm going to start Big Mouth , hope that it will be good . Currently watching Good detective 2 for the team as the quality isn't the same as the season one and Today's webtoon when my cells are tired .
Lol. Because that's the point in the script. She is portraying Mudeok (a maid who must look weak and submissive) and that's the character of a maid. If she looks so strong and looks assasin she will get caught by the mages. She is not just portraying Naksu (a strong, brutal, shadow assasin). Are we really watching the same series? If so, I guess you didn't understand what you are watching. You may want to go back to episode 1 to fully understand.
Sayaris, I agree with you. I don’t think it’s fair of them to use Jung so Min (JSM) for her star billing and experience… then give her a weak role to play. More than 20 episodes and they write her in such a pathetic role that all she did is to cater to her young master and wash dishes, change bedsheets…. Yet she did all that, making the best of her character. I expected her to perform some action but she is written so poorly until she only get her powers back at the end of season 1 … this totally unfair to JSM.
Although Go Yoon Jung should do fine as original naksu but I don’t think they should let go of Jung So Min completely. At least they should keep her in the show as Bu Yeon.
Yeah That's Right
Lol. Because that's the point in the script. She is portraying Mudeok (a maid who must look weak and submissive) and that's the character of a maid. If she looks so strong and looks assasin she will get caught by the mages. She is not just portraying Naksu (a strong, brutal, shadow assasin). Are we really watching the same series? If so, I guess you didn't understand what you are watching. You may want to go back to episode 1 to fully understand.
I think it's better for the actress change. I agree with the above comment about the chemistry. Their age difference in real life is 9 years, it's too much for the couple pairing. Even though this boy looks mature and JSM looks younger, it's still weird at the first place. I can't believe how they decided to go with this much age gap, it's not noona romance drama either. They really look like siblings, which does not help. In some scenes, he still looks a baby to her.
JSM looks extra awkward. But I think ML boy did everything in romantic scenes to make up. It's still not working for me.
Thats why I didnt even start it. They casted a newbie actress for the lead and then it got swopped out for JSM. Her age gap with all the male leads is quite big. Im wondering why they didn't just swop the newbie actress and go yoon jung from the beginning and have her lead from the start. I have seen her in law school. Shes pretty, can act well and definitely age appropriate for the character. This production casting decisions have been so messy from the start. They are super fortunate to have the ratings they have now with the risein complaints about the storyline midpoint and the never ending fiasco for the casting decisions for FL
For them, there are always Lee Jae Wook and Go Yoon Jung as main characters. But the plot is about the major soul-shift of Naksu into a maid body. So, they need another FL actress for part 1 who embody as maid Mudeok's character. Even without this soul-shift, I think it would be fine with LJW and GYJ pairing at the start.
It was such a mess with casting. They got lucky with this rating and buzz. I love JSM, but not here.
I think the age is not the matter here. Search other drama most leading ladies is more older than the lead men. Specifically search LJW she had been paired to a older woman who is more older than JSM. Jung SoMin acting and her chemistry with the 3 men is undeniable. Besides many of AOS fans are begging for her to stay in season 2. Even the writer of this article agree with it.
That's Why The Reality Is So Sad
Don't you know that most Korean movies that the female lead are mainly younger than the male just that they look younger and there's really nothing wrong with there acting it was perfect
There is no problem in age gap,it is how they deliver or act/role in a drama.Be positive.
Viewers knows best. Can you'll just shut the hell up and allow the director to do their thing?
The age gap issue is overrated. These teo are actors. They can play any age and should make it work. In the drama, Light in Your Eyes, the main casts have 13 years gap but they were superb and they made many viewers overlook that issue. Because people focused more on the story and the idea....the age gap is a mere technicality. And it is as if it is illegal for them to date. Geez. This is one reason why actors feel discouraged.
we know so much of naksu n less of jin buyeon. waiting for the hong sisters to close the gap there. this drama has been rather slow as compared to the first few episodes. stay on because of jsm n ljw. That is the hong sisters' style of writing which is getting no way .. and the season 2 better be good or better. or else ...really a disappointment
Jung so min will remain in season 2 coz she was buyeon the devine priestess now we will waiting for how they make naksu come back from the dead who will make it her return it might be the mother of jin family to make it separate or else jang uk by the use of ice stone.....just hoping in season 2 will have a happy ending for the gift of December 😅😅
Yeah,and who will be jang Uk choose with the 2 female lead bu yeon or naksu... Who will be the next crown prince or gwanju😍
Next time, casting directors could learn from it. Because someone looks older and someone looks younger does not mean they should be casted as a couple. I won't mind if it's a few years, here it's very wide (9 years). There is this thing called "aura". It's obvious in behind the scenes, she keeps avoiding him and he looks like a little kid to her.
I would say both of them are very good actors, they should be casted separately with people from same age bracket. Then they would be on fire with this talent alone.
Lee Jae Wook is such a good kisser. Pleasantly surprised with last kiss scene, he is good.
Oh there are even more times the big age gap where male leads are so much older than female leads or vice versa and it still works. Why are you so mean about that in this drama? It’s only your preference. I personally find JSM and LJW have good chemistry, only the script is confusing.
Agree with you
I think Personally it is unfair on the part of Jung So Min who save the show. She already catch viewers hearts and attention. She has chemistry with 3 men. How could we adjust to the situation when in fact we already embedded in our mind that Somin × Uk. We already inculcate it in our mind. Its kinda awkward to switch it again to another persona. Or better yet they must have a love triangle between Buyeon and Naksu. The story will be very interesting
The drama was already dragging towards the latter part. I may not watch Season 2 if the FL lead is changed. She has good very chemistry with Jang Uk and the Crown Prince. I was hoping that she ended up either with Jang Uk or the Crown Prince.