#alchemy of souls seo yul

[slytherinshua]

PERFECT REUNIONS

genre. fluff. hurt/comfort. warnings. a lot of crying and a lot of kissing lol. spoilers for aos s1 finale/s2 ep1 ig... but also not rly like idkkkk??? pairing. seo yul x fem!reader. wc. 1.5k. a/n. for @candewlsy my lovely and skdjks pls this fic had me sobbing and giggling while writing im low-key obsessed (and maybe back in my aos/yul era.)

“What!? He’s back?!” Your eyes widened and you practically bounced up at hearing the words from one of the servants. You had barely even heard the name of your lover since he had left 3 years ago, and after a couple of months, you had even stopped receiving letters despite his promise to you that he would keep sending them.

You were already rushing out of the house the second you processed the words. “Ma’am, I have been informed that Young Master Seo Yul is staying at Chwiseonru. He arrived this afternoon.”

It was already dark out and entirely improper for you to be travelling alone at this time, but you felt like you didn’t have a single second to spare to call for Eunju, your maid. It took 20 minutes to get to Chwiseonru from your family’s home, but with your hurried steps, you made it in half the time. Juwol knew you well and already could tell what had brought you here from your slight panting as you struggled to catch your breath.

“Y/n! You’re out so late? Without Eunju?” She sounded concerned, but she understood your urgency. There had barely been a mention of Yul after the chaos at Choyeon’s wedding 3 years ago. You had been too preoccupied with helping your best friend through her mourning and anger to even say a proper goodbye to him. 

Now that things were as back to normal as they could get, you were desperate to see the face you had longed for every night and day for so long. Juwol didn’t dawdle any longer before disclosing which room Yul was staying in, and you were quick to rush up the stairs and down the hall.

Standing in front of the door, you were hit with a sudden nervousness. You had been separated for so long, but now were only a room apart. It only took one push for you to see his face again. His beautiful face that you had missed so much.

But doubt filled you as you stalled there, standing just outside like the fool you were. What if he had forgotten you? What if he had found someone else in his time away? What if he didn’t want to see you?

But you shook all your thoughts aside and with your last bit of courage, knocked softly on the door.

“Yes?”

Your heart raced at the sound of his voice, and it suddenly all felt a little more real. He really was back. He was just behind this door. You pushed it open a little shakily, feeling almost as if you couldn’t breathe as you watched his eyes look up to meet yours.

He was dressed in a simple light purple set of hanbok and his hair was maybe a little longer than you had last seen, his eyes a little more worn with experience. They held a drowsiness which you knew all too well, and with a quick glance at the table he sat at, you acknowledged the bottle of wine he had been drinking. 

His eyes widened as soon as he saw you, and you swore they even brightened upon seeing your face. He stood up quickly, but he was clearly very drunk, and he stumbled a bit. You rushed over to him like it was second nature, steadying him before he could trip.

“I-I’m not dreaming, right? I-It’s really you, right?” He spoke softly, his words slurring together slightly as a result of the alcohol. His hands gripped at your arms to keep from falling, and your heart nearly shattered at his question. His voice was filled with hurt, but unmistakable hope as well, and all you could do was nod your head fervently at first.

“You’re not dreaming… It’s me.” You whispered with a sob. You finally gave up trying to keep you both standing, and sunk to the floor slowly, tears already slipping out and down your cheeks.

Yul was no more collected than you. Whether it was the alcohol or just the result of seeing you, you weren’t sure; but his eyebrows fell, and his lip began to tremble, and before too long, he was weeping silently in your arms as well. 

That’s how you stayed for several minutes. Both of you were too emotional to say anything without breaking down halfway through the sentence, so you just stayed in his arms, sobbing into his chest as he pulled you ever closer, his tears dripping down onto the silk of your dress.

It took a while for you to recover, but eventually, you did. You took a shaky breath, gathering enough energy to be the first one to speak. And even though you could talk without being reduced to tears halfway through, your words were still shaky with emotion.

“Why did you drink alone? You should’ve invited me…” You looked up at him and offered a sad smile. He tried to return it, but couldn’t quite. He shut his eyes as another tear slipped out. You reached out silently and brushed it off his cheek, leaving your hand there to cup his warm skin. He leaned into your touch and it seemed to ground him enough to find the words he wanted.

“I know I should’ve told you that I was returning… But I was scared.” He opened his eyes and met your loving gaze with his sorrowful one. “A few months after I left, I found out some of my letters had been intercepted by my father. I realized you must’ve thought that I… moved on from you.”

He looked down for a moment, collecting his thoughts. He was somehow so well-spoken even while drunk. You weren’t sure what you had expected, though. He was Seo Yul, after all. You hadn’t realized just how much you had missed him.

“Y/n.” He said softly. You smiled. Hearing your name from his lips was all you had longed for for those 3 years. “I have so much to tell you, and even more that I want to ask. But first… How have you been, my love?” He smiled gently, finally being able to call you that after so long.

You were quickly able to catch up with your lover. He told you about everything that had happened back home while you shared the rest of the wine. You didn’t have much to tell him. Most of the time he had been away from you had been spent at home, with you thinking of rarely anything but him. 

You found out that he hadn’t stopped writing letters to you, he had just stopped sending them. He had even brought them with him, but he refused to show you. They were useless now that he had you back.

In some ways it still felt like a dream that he was here. Yet it couldn’t be a dream because you felt his arms around you, hugging you as close as humanly possible. It still didn’t feel close enough for either of you, though.

As he talked, you couldn’t help but press more and more kisses to any skin you could access— his neck, his jaw, his cheek, and even his lips. He allowed you to cut off his sentences to kiss you instead. You had 3 years to make up for, after all.

It felt too perfect to be kissing him, to feel his soft lips against yours, and to feel the relief that you didn’t have to stop or say goodbye. He was here and he was yours. 

And with that thought, you kissed him as if there was no tomorrow. You wanted to savour the moment for as long as possible, so even when you had to pull apart to catch your breath, it was never too long before your lips found their way to his again. It was after you pulled apart for the 3rd or 4th time that Yul spoke up.

“Y/n… marry me.”

You were taken aback at his sudden words. It didn’t even really sound like a question, because he already knew your answer. He was firm in the statement, determined even, and you smiled wider than you had ever had before.

You nodded at him with shiny eyes, watching in awe as his lips curved up into a smile, eyes almost overflowing with his love for you. You laughed and kissed him again. You knew he would probably ask you again the next day when he was sober because “nothing counts when you’re drunk”, and that you would say yes again to that as well. It brought a warm feeling to your chest. You really couldn’t think of a time that you were happier than in the current moment. 

Everything felt so good and right and perfect. That’s what Yul was to you in every way. 

Absolutely, unmistakably, decidedly perfect.

↳ k-drama taglist: @yeonjuns-redhair,, @wolfmoonmusic,, @tempobaekh,, @candewlsy

[eggsaladstain]

dual wielding + bad at directions is such a fun combo

Seo Yul | Alchemy of Souls (Netflix, 2022) Roronoa Zoro | ONE PIECE (Netflix, 2023)

[artemishdp]

Master lee and seo yul overestimating jang uk and assuming that it will be hard for him to choose between his morals and naksu 😭😭😭😭 that man will burn the world down without any hesitation if it meant he can dig naksu out of the ashes

[longingsunshine]

Mu deok and Jang Uk every episode: Can’t stay away from each other, hug each other all the time, first thing they ask others is “where is mu deok/ jang uk”, would literally die for each other, clingy af, fight like a married couple

Every one else: aaaahhh what a typical maid and master relationship how lovely

[nathsketch]

As requested, here are the Four Seasons together :) 🍁❄️🌸☀️

Happy Wednesday! 🎏

Find me here: Instagram | Website & Portfolio 

[blue-jisungs]

red and blue colored jealousy

author's note. thank u zanna @slytherinshua for coloring the yul pic <333 i hope u enjoy it!!! the bestest boy ever :( also!! my yet another take on "eloquent" wording hehehehe 🤓☝️

word count. 1.9kish

warnings. its not a warning techinally lol but its fem!reader ++ reader is wearing a hanbok for women and has long hair.... theres no aos spoilers (i think) + its not specified when its taking place so feel free to interpret it ur way lol ++ not proof-read sorrrrryyyyyyyy

the tender music of kayagum, haegum, choktae and other instruments filled the room. the lights were slightly dimmed, a couple of candles casting shadows on the walls and curtains.

the crown prince sighed heavily, shifting on his seat.

“what is all of this?” he asked, fingers drumming against the wooden surface of the table. seo yul smiled softly, looking at uk.

“due to all the stress and hustle happening in the city, we decided to fill out spare time with some happiness” yul explained gently, nodding. park danggu shushed them, parting the table in excitement.

“it’s starting!”

go won was about to ask how could he tell but then some of the candles went out, as if a gust of wind did it. however, everyone felt a sudden invisible force causing them to shiver.

“did someone open the window…?” uk blinked and then they heard a faint rustle.

chwiseonru didn’t have a stage, to be frank. they just moved a couple of tables and cleared some space. the ladies sitting on the cushions, dressed in pink and purple coloured hanboks were on the ground. their fingers gently strummed their instruments, touches feather-alike.

suddenly, there were footsteps. everyone in the tavern noticed a woman.

she was wearing a black hanbok with crimson sewed details. small leaves and flowers adorned the cloth on the sides. she had her long hair braided, loosely put and swaying on her shoulder.

her hands were slim and her pointer finger was adorned with a red jewel. it shone beautifully, ruby and crimson glittering in the faint light. if one looked closer, they were about to realise it’s one of the half of ying and yang stone.

however, her face was hidden behind two fans. one of them was black with faint agate details, the other was an opposite – red with black sewings.

she held them in a way that hid her face, which only made the viewers more curious.

suddenly the pace of music fastened and the woman started flapping her fans a bit more rapidly. with swift and hypnotising moves of her body, she revealed her face.

she had some artistic makeup on her face: a curved line forming under her eyes that created a crooked circle, only to connect above her brows. two, small ruby stones were glued on her cheekbones symmetrically.

yul noticed the way the prince’s eyes widened, cheeks flushing and lips parting in awe. the mage scoffed, ignoring his friend’s gaze.

the performer moved gracefully, just like water. her moves were clean and gentle, the flutter of fans creating her own music. uk frowned upon noticing the similarities between some of her dance moves and chisu or even hwansu.

“she’s gorgeous” go won breathed out, his eyes focused on the dancer.

the performer’s face remained cold and expressionless, eyes trained in the audience. a brief eye contact with the prince caused him to smile and nod. whereas yul just clutched his fist, uk was growing more and more suspicious.

the song seemed to reach its climax, beat going faster and faster. nevertheless, the dancer didn’t fail to catch up, moves becoming more sharp and sturdy.

with a sudden thrust, the rest of the candles went out. briefly after, she finished the performance ending in the same position she started.

people started clapping and cheering, go won cleared his throat.

“who… is she?” he asked quietly, turning to the others. in the meantime, the servers lit up the candles again.

“l/n y/n” a female voice rung up from behind him, causing the crown prince to jerk in surprise.

yul sent you a soft smile, your face visible in the light once again.

the crown prince turned around and grabbed your hand, placing a gentle peck on the top of it.

“your performance was stunning. i have never seen anything like this in my entire life! the music, your moves and grace… truly breathtaking. how come i haven’t seen you perform before?” he asked, eyes sparking with adoration.

you chuckled sweetly, bowing elegantly.

“thank you, your highness. i had a break from performing… someone insisted i started dancing again which is why i’m here” you smiled and caught yul’s ebony irises on you. you couldn’t read his expression.

“thank gods that person convinced you. sincerely speaking, im fully mesmerised with you” the prince smirked, a playful smile dancing on his lips

“i’m pleased to hear that, my prince” you bowed once again, noticing uk’s sturdy gaze on you.

“i shall invite you to my castle one day”’ go won hummed. you nodded with a satisfied smile.

“i appreciate that you’re thinking so highly of me, my prince…” you started and looked above his head, only to meet seo yul’s gaze. you weren’t meant to finish as another compliment was landed at you.

“and your fans… may i have a look at them? they look absolutely stunning” he asked.

normally, you’d refuse. but it was the crown prince after all.

nodding and handing him your fans, you saw how he traced the detailed sewings on them.

“beautiful work. may i know by who was it made?” go won asked, rising his head up to look at you. he was amazed not only by your dancing skills but also your beauty. especially those e/c eyes.

“it was a gift from a dear friend of mine” you explained and took back the fans once he handed them to you.

“i see. will you perform again?” the crown prince asked, flirty tone in his voice.

you were meant to give just one dance.

but who were you to deny the majesty’s request?

you finished shortly after midnight, the moonlight sneaking through the windows. the prince wanted more and more, enchanted by you. only when he noticed that your musicians are getting tired, he decided to stop. bidding you farewell (not failing to shower you in compliments once again), he was gone. the ordinary people went home, leaving just a couple of drunkards and the mages left. they decided to return to the jeongjingak.

when you left, they stayed for a bit longer to finish their drinks. yul put his hands on his thighs, observing the crown prince.

“i’m really enchanted. who invited her?” the man asked. uk was about to snicker a joke about being so love-struck.

“yul! yul knows y/n, they’re good friends!” danggu yelled out, a bit more louder than he intended. yul felt his eyes widening as the prince’s thundering gaze shifted to him.

“seriously? and you never introduced me to her? seo yul, i’m disappointed” the crown prince tsked.

“i never knew you were a fan of such things, your highness” yul bowed his head and stood up. the sudden motion combined with couple of drops of alcohol in his system caused his vision to blur.

“ah, it’s a shame i only discovered her now. but better now than never, hm?” go win tilted his head and observed yul’s rosy cheeks.

“yul-ah, you seem distracted. is everything alright?” uk asked, worried. he stood up and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“yeah, i’m just tired. we shall go. i need to get one thing done and i’ll join you in jeongjingak” yul sighed. he bowed and left them, ignoring their weird looks.

there was a sudden knock at your door. you let out a sigh but your gaze didn’t leave your reflection in the mirror.

“i’m sorry, your highness, but the performance is over” you called, hands working on untying your braid.

“oh, my apologies. i just hoped for a quick chat with such an amazing dancer”

you turned around and your face lit up upon seeing yul. he smiled wildly when your eyes met.

“oh for you master yul… i suppose i could make some time” you teased. yul closed the door and approached you slowly, as you reassumed to unbraid your hair “did you enjoy the show?”

“oh, of course i did. anyone would be a fool not to enjoy it” he hummed, placing his hands on your arms and massaging them gently “a certain individual seemed to enjoy it especially…”

“oh?” you rose your eyebrows, meeting his dark-brown irises in the mirror’s reflection. his face was pensive, brows furrowed and jaw tensed.

he huffed and leaned a bit forward, grabbing your hair gently and putting it on your back. as he started to unbraid your hair tenderly, careful not to tug too harshly, you started to wipe off your performance makeup.

“the crown prince fell in love, i recon” he murmured, shrugging nonchalantly.

“with the performance? i mean, i’d be rather upset if the future king wasn’t entertained with my dance” you hummed and put away the dirty cloths, your face now bare.

“i think he was more found of you than the show itself, y/n” seo yul sighed and parted the last parts of your hair, finally letting it flow on your back loosely.

“hm… it flatters me, truly” you smiled and noticed his brows twitch “yul?”

“yes, dear?” he asked, sitting down next to you. he looked at the stone on your finger, smiling subconsciously.

“are you jealous?” asking, you raised the corner of your lip.

he just rolled his eyes playfully, yet no words were spoken.

“oh yul…” you giggled and poked his chest “you seemed to kill him with your gaze the second he opened his mouth while he was talking to me”

“stop talking such nonsense about the future head of the country…” seo yul grunted, avoiding your gaze. a slight blush adorned the tips of his ears.

he leaned and grabbed your fans, holding them gently.

you observed how he traced the black sewing, then moving to the red one. he was thinking about something, absentmindedly moving his fingers along the soft fabric.

“i’m sorry” you huffed, placing your hand over his “i tried to hold a distance but he was too…”

“it’s a future king, they tend to get too blind to notice someone is uncomfortable” yul scoffed and looked up at you, suddenly reaching out and holding your chin with his free hand. he tilted his head, a faint smirk dancing on his lips “but you’re mine”

“mhm” you hummed in agreement and waited for him to shorten the distance between you two.

as your lips finally met, your head went spiralling. every kiss with seo yul was like the first time, always so passionate and tender.

you’ve been dating yul for a while now, yet you were keeping your relationship secret from the public eye. and for the time you’ve spent with your lover, you noticed his habits… such as struggling to word out his love. however, his words just weren’t verbal: yul adored to shower you with gifts and small gestures.

like those fans you always perform with. or the finest performance makeup supplies he got from afar. or the handmade hanbok for you to perform in. or the musicians.

or the ring.

as you felt the air escaping your lungs, you moved your hand from his and put it at the back of his neck.

leaning away, you noticed his flushed cheeks.

“i’m yours, yul. not going anywhere, even if the prince offers me to rule the country” you chuckled and tapped his ring, the blue part that matched yours.

“good” yul huffed, noticing the gesture.

after all, the red and blue yin and yang jade was the symbol for ever lasting love for a reason.

masterlist <3

taglist. @laylasbunbunny ,, @slytherinshua ,, @jiwuu ,, @ameliesaysshooo ,, @planetkiimchi ,, @primoppang ,, @dazzlingligth

[mikanotes]

HEART TO HEART

seo yul x gn!reader | 4.3k words

genre: mutual pining, soulmates au

warnings: mentions of death, injuries, and hypothermia. made up stuff for the sake of my little soulmate au and a lot of confusing explanations sorry! might be ooc i haven’t watched aos in a while. not fully proofread

synopsis: A careless mishap with a dangerous artifact leads Yul to unknowingly lose half of his soul, and unknowingly attempt to get it back.

author’s note: in my seo yul era again

There is so many sounds around Daeho. People talking, the sound of each syllable that leaves their lips, the sound of each breath they exhale, the sound of laughter echoing around walls and steps all around the city. There is nature, the wind passing through the leaves of each tree, the sound of water droplets falling along a waterfall, birds’ wings moving and stray cats jumping on roofs.

There is so many sounds around Daeho, yet you feel as if you cannot really hear any of them.

There’s a tornado around you— A storm. It is made of every sound and feeling and it swirls around but you cannot feel. It is like watching the world breaking apart but seeing it from another place.

Where are you really?

Your name echoes around you.

The sound of a voice, warm and familiar. Home. Yes, this must be home. The voice that holds you gently, brings you to peace and helps you stay alive.

“Come back.”

Seo Yul.

“You’re finally here!” Choyeon nearly cries, hurrying over to join her friends. Jang Uk, Seo Yul, and Park Danggu. She sighs and frantically looks around, as if checking if anyone could be watching, before leading them inside with a pull to Danggu’s hand.

“What happened? The maid said it was urgent.” Uk says calmly, clearly confused. Choyeon seems restless. Yul doesn’t want to think of the worst, because it could really be something that isn’t at all urgent. But there’s this slight hint of genuine fear in the girl’s eyes that makes him do it, think of the worst, even if for just a second.

“There’s… Something happened, they’re unconscious, and…” her words are clear but too fast to make sense and all that he catches is your name and the word unconscious. “It’s because I’m clumsy and all, but I really didn’t mean for this to happen—”

“Slow down.” Uk laughs in slight shock, “Unconscious?”

“What exactly happened?” Danggu steps in. The girl looks at him with arched eyebrows and upset painted all over her expression before she finally sighs and turns away.

“It’ll be easier if you see.” she says, then walks towards a more secluded part of the gardens near Songrim. It’s near a small lake and close to a large, abandoned study room. There’s bushes and flowers all around and it’s enough to make for a beautiful spot to get alone time. Or hide something.

Choyeon pushes the large doors open. The room really is abandoned. There’s old desks and chairs stacked at the sides and some of the windows have been left ajar. Yul coughs because of the dust the second he steps inside, before waving his hand around in the air and squinting. But then everyone stops in their tracks, so he looks at the center of the room and his eyes widen.

This might really be urgent.

“… What happened?” Yul finally speaks up for the first time since his arrival. He was fine with his friends asking questions because they were the same he had in mind— But the scene in front of him urges him to talk.

You’re standing up straight in the middle of the room, the fabric of your clothing flowing in every direction despite the clear lack of wind inside the room, your eyes are closed and you don’t look anywhere close to awake. The place is at a fairly normal temperature, but it’s like a storm has formed specifically around you, much colder than the rest. A striking red ribbon is held tightly between your fingers.

You seem so… Calm. Yul feels a discomforting chill running down his spine.

Choyeon sighs quietly, biting on her bottom lip while thinking. The silence that follows Yul’s question stretches out for a long while, everyone clearly trying to make sense of the sight in front of them. It seems clear the girl who knows anything about it is hesitant to speak. Yul moves a bit closer to her. “Choyeon. It’s okay.” he says softly. He tries to sound reassuring. She looks up at him and shakes her head. He frowns a little. “Jin Choyeon.”

“We can’t help if we don’t know how they ended up like this. Please get on with it.” Uk complains, though everyone present knows his tone is a bit more worried than it is irritated.

“They held the Soulmates’ Fabric.”

Yul tilts his head a little, puzzled. “Soulmates’…?”

“Fabric.” she repeats, then sighs. “It’s… To summarize it, it’s an artifact from the Jinyowon— The fallen lovers’ spirits possess it. People used this to check if their lover was their soulmate or not before a wedding. Two parties hold it, it’s… It’s a ribbon, and if they’re soulmates it will show the fabric of fate linking their pinkies.”

Yul glances at your hand and figures that’s the red ribbon in your hand. Such a small thing— It looks as if he could wrap it around his wrist maybe twice, like a bracelet. Cursed artifacts really are just anything.

Uk chimes in. “And if they’re not?”

“Nothing. The spirits just laugh in their faces.”

“And if only one person holds it?” Yul asks. Choyeon looks at him and gulps, before glancing away.

“Their soul is trapped in there.”

“And why… Did you even have this? Simple curiosity.” Danggu asks. Choyeon shrugs a bit dramatically and turns away. The man blinks a few times before his eyes widen in realization. He points his finger towards his own chest, “Us?!”

“Well, yes.”

Yul feels his patience wearing thin and closes his eyes to calm it. He looks at Choyeon, “How did they end up holding it?”

“It flew away from my grasp, they just tried grabbing it for me..” she says, holding up her hands— Covered by silk gloves, protecting her in a way you visibly weren’t blessed with. “The doors to this place were wide open so we ended up here.”

Yul glances at you and sighs. Something tells him solving this won’t be easy.

“How do we get their soul back in here?” Uk asks, pointing towards your body with his thumb.

Choyeon sighs, again. It’s clear she’d hoped to avoid this since her friends arrived, despite knowing she would have to say it if this was to be solved.

“Their soulmate needs to hold the other end of the fabric.”

“You’re kidding…”

“This could take ages.”

“I know!”

Yul can practically see how cold the storm around you is. He can practically feel the threat of death attached to your body, missing its soul. A vessel without a soul is bad news. Without its soul, the body does not take long to… Heavens, no. He takes a step closer to you and lets his friends’ arguing become background noise for a moment. You’re eerily still.

“Is it safe to move them?” he asks.

“I think, but the problem is more so actually managing to do it.” Choyeon replies, “The storm is stronger than you might think.”

Yul tries, anyway. He takes a step forward and moves his hands to hold you. His skin feels like it’s freezing the moment they enter the storm surrounding your figure, and it gets about ten times worse when he manages to grab ahold of your arms. The very fact that you’re enduring this makes him feel like he might lose his mind if they don’t find a way to stop it. He grinds his teeth and tries to pull, ignoring his friends telling him to quit it as well as the burning that the cold cuts him with, and keeps at it for at least thirty more seconds before he’s forced to stumble back.

This is bad, he thinks. He’d hoped your body wouldn’t be too affected by the cold because of its unnatural nature, but upon closer look, a lot of signs indicate you’re more than affected. Freezing much faster than a person ever should have been. Truly just a body with no soul.

Uk looks at him, hand firmly holding his shoulder after shoving him away from you. “You won’t have a hand to hold the fabric with, if you keep this up.” he says sternly. Yul glares a little and moves away from his hand.

“That would be a futile effort. I figure I’d only be trapping my soul, too.”

“I mean, would you?” Danggu asks, brows furrowing. The question is directed at Choyeon, now, who should clearly have more extensive knowledge on the whole thing, “Did the people who use this have to hold it at the exact same time or else one of them got trapped? That seems… Inconvenient.”

Choyeon shakes her head lightly and walks over to a table in the room. There, a large and old book about artifacts and customs sits on the surface. “There’s something they would recite. Like a… A spell. Or a poem, I think? I was too panicked to read all this, but… I think that’s what protected their souls from being taken if they weren’t linked to each other.” she explains, frantically going through the book. “But Yul is right. Since their soul is already trapped, him holding the fabric would only work if they’re sure to be soulmates.”

“Well, might as well try.” Uk scoffs, “Besides, who could it be if not Yul?”

The latter looks down and scoffs. His friends’ teasing on his very obvious fondness for you would usually not have much effect on him besides giving him mild embarrassment, but today it feels a bit different. The words sound sour to him in these circumstances.

“This might be life or death.” he says quietly, and repeats it louder when Danggu asks what he said. He looks up, “At this rate, their temperature will only continue to drop. They’ll be dead and frozen in less than a few hours.”

Choyeon makes a sound of discontentment and concern before speaking, “Isn’t that too precise?”

“Master Heo taught me enough to know this much. We all know this.”

An overbearing silence follows that statement. It’s hard to claim the teachings of Daeho’s best physician are wrong, and Yul is right, and it makes it all the more difficult to process. You are hanging in the air in the middle of a freezing storm and their chances of saving you are incredibly slim. Their hope is quick to slip away.

There has to be a way. Your soulmate could be worlds away, for all they know. Yul would be willing to set out on a quest to find whoever it could be and drag them back here if it came down to it, however he doesn’t have the privilege of having so much time. So, “Is there another solution?” he asks, gaze focused on Choyeon. 

He must look somewhat different because the girl’s eyes widen for a moment and she looks towards Uk. “Well,” she looks back at him, “Breaking almost any artifact would render it incapable of executing their usual magic, which means this one too… Probably.”

“We can’t base ourselves off a ‘probably’.”

“I— Just look in the stupid grimoire, then!”

So he does. He walks over to the book and lets Choyeon move aside before pressing his hands down over the edges of the pages. Soulmates’ Fabric, cursed souls, history, spell recital, remedies… There are only two pages on this artifact, which means all their solutions had to be hidden somewhere there. 

Or that there is not a solution.

“Why did our elders have to be so damn dramatic?” Uk sighs in annoyance, and conversation ensues behind Yul. He doesn’t bother keeping up with anything that’s said.

“Trust was especially important at the time.”

“Yeah? For their image and reputation?”

“Can’t be all too different from right now, then.”

The story of the Soulmates’ Fabric claims two souls reside in that ribbon, lovers who were doomed to never be together yet perished at each other’s side. Impossible to get this ribbon off their wrists, even in death— They cursed it, whether they meant to or not, and the piece of fabric could only be taken once their bodies had entirely vanished.

It then became a custom to see if the spirits approved, or rather, if they could confirm if lovers were meant to be before they could marry. One of the spirits known to be kind, and gentle with their approach— The other much angrier, still understandably bitter over their fate. It’s said if two are soulmates, the kinder one will tie the ribbon around their fingers. If not, the cruel one will mock them. However, the method growing to be seen as too much of a risk, the ribbon was sealed in the Jinyowon for years to follow.

Yul’s gaze moves around the page, looking over words about the way the custom used to go, the way people saved themselves, but he struggles to even find a single sentence about a situation similar to yours. He focuses on a specific part, which sounds a lot like a poem, though it isn’t the one he saw earlier to recite before the ritual.

If one foolish enough to be trapped all on their own,

Mind numbed by the illusions of the Eye of the Storm,

Only their lover may find a way to wake their heart,

Or curse themselves with our wrath dare they injure us a cut.

To the abyss and away from their love they will depart,

With us shall never part.

“Curse themself if they dare injure them with a cut?…” he mumbles to himself, eyebrows creasing in confusion. He takes a deep breath and rereads it ten times, then looks back at the story of the souls. It is said they couldn’t remove the ribbon from the lovers’ tied wrists even after their death. Lovers fated to be apart, tying themselves to die together if they can’t live together. Then…? His eyes widen in realization.

“I’ll hold it.” he says suddenly, turning around. The group startles and looks at him. “I’ll hold the fabric right now, but I need you to do something in case it goes awry.”

Danggu nods hurriedly. “Good, anything, because they’re freezing over here.” the blonde says, moving his hand away from your arm and clutching it with his other. It’s red from the cold.

Yul swallows thickly then takes a short breath. “If it goes wrong, I need one of you guys to cut the fabric with my swords.”

“What?”

He continues, “I think if someone cuts the fabric they’ll be cursed by the spirits, but it will free the one that’s trapped.” he explains calmly, and sees Uk scoffing in disbelief as he listens. “So if it comes down to it, cut it. With my swords. Make it known I’m the one willing to be cursed.”

“What happened to ‘we can’t go off a probably’?” Uk mimics, air-quoting him, “You only said you think. Not that you’re sure. And what if it curses us anyways?”

“You’re right. Making the situation worse isn’t something I’m willing to risk.” Yul says dismissively, unsheathing the swords at his sides. “I can cut it myself right now.”

A hurried chorus of ‘no!’s follows that statement and Danggu jogs up to his side.

“Okay, let’s just… talk first.” he says, and glances at you for a second before adding, “Fast.”

“What is there to talk about?” Yul asks.

“Well, what— What’s the deal with the curse? What does it entail? Why would it happen?” Choyeon questions, “I mean, it makes sense a spirit would want to curse the one who breaks their artifact, but what’s their reasoning?”

“It’s the only thing that kept them together. In death, when they couldn’t be together in life.” Yul says, “It’s nothing short of cruel to cut it. But it… is a way to solve this.”

“And what if you’re soulmates?” Uk asks, crossing his arms, “What if it could be solved much more easily?”

“And if we’re not?” Yul counters, expression hardening, “I don’t want to risk it.”

“We would be risking much, much more if we lose both of you to a ribbon.” Danggu argues.

“I’m sorry,” Yul starts, fingers tightening around one of his swords, “But you are not changing my mind on this. Try as you might.”

“Yul…”

The second sword drops to the floor as he lets it go and he uses the distraction of the sound to take the few steps needed to get to you again. Otherwise he knows Uk will stop him.

He steels himself for the incoming pain and grabs the fabric in your hand before he can overthink it more. He holds it tightly and hisses at the cold, but tries to pull to bring your arm higher. You’re like a statue. It’s almost impossible to get you to move at all. Frozen. The storm is beginning to surround him, a slow but sure sign of his soul being pulled somewhere away from his body— Though he has no way to know if it’s to the abyss of the fabric’s realm or simply to meet yours. He cannot afford to wait and see.

The cold rushes through his own blood the longer he remains there, and he’s sure that the cursed souls are too close to him to risk staying still any longer. 

He had planned to immediately strike his sword against the artifact the moment he would get a tight enough hold of it, but now that he’s there, it proves to be much more difficult than he’d anticipated. His body feels heavy and his heartbeat is so loud in his ears that he cannot hear his friends’ yelling.

No, this isn’t my heartbeat, he realizes, mine is hurting my chest from how fast it’s going.

It’s yours. You’re still alive.

He feels as if his fingers may be turning numb, and worse, his mind as well. If this keeps up, his stupid plan will have been for nothing and Danggu will be right. Losing both you and him. He doesn’t care about anyone losing him, but it cannot be for nothing. So he focuses, and he finds any bit of strength left in him. With a yell, he swings down his sword just as the words “I’m sorry” attempt to leave his lips. Pointless apologies to souls long gone.

It cuts right through the red piece of silk.

Clang. His hand goes limp and his sword falls.

He sees you fall to the ground before he feels his own body do the same. His head hits the wooden floor, hard, and he feels like he’s lost his breath for a few long seconds. He’s spent— He swears he doesn’t have any strength left in him at all, otherwise, he would have crawled to you to make sure you’re not frozen and dead. His arm is extended on the floor, his end of the ribbon in his hand, and the other in yours still. His sword is somewhere else in the room but he doesn’t know where.

He blinks slowly, trying his very best to stay awake, but it becomes incredibly difficult. The pain and exhaustion are begging him to succumb to sleep but he cannot allow it yet. He can vaguely make out words of worries from his friends, but everything sounds far away. He tries to move, but all he can do is tighten his fingers around the small piece of ribbon. A thought crosses his mind as he looks at it, something that makes him feel even more confused than the fall already did.

Other than the cold in his veins, that is slowly fading away, Yul cannot feel anything close to a curse on him.

Is it not immediate? Why has he not heard the resentful screams of anger of separated lovers? Why is he merely battling his way to staying awake and not out of a fate worse than death? Was the curse a mere myth, or the true struggle a test of strength and will?

Through a half-open and hazy gaze, Yul swears he sees something odd happening. The red silk ribbon, cut cleanly in the middle, beginning to reconstruct all on its own. Fabric made out of air, slowly growing longer from both ends of the torn bits until they inevitably meet again in the middle.

And a translucent red ribbon, like a vision of sorts, tying around both yours and his pinky fingers.

The individuals will, if truly soulmates, see the ribbon tying around their pinkies. The book must’ve been right, but severely missing information. It really is doing just that, but there was nothing written about it fixing itself after getting cut. Then again, there wasn’t a tale of anyone ever trying before.

Yul breathes out something close to a laugh just before he loses grip of his consciousness and passes out, unsure of where he will be when he wakes up— If he ever does. Whatever happens, as long as you’re alive, it will have been worth it.

When he opens his eyes, at first, he’s in a dark space and laying down. He hears whispers and feels energies threatening enough to make him reach for his swords— But he finds he cannot move.

“Was there ever a curse to begin with? Tales this old are riddled with truths and details lost to time.” a voice says, and it seems to echo— Like two people are speaking, “What do you believe?”

— I don’t know.

“You were merely getting the missing half of your soul back. Who would curse you for such a thing?” the voice (voices?) laugh, “It seems clear they would’ve done the same, too.”

When he opens his eyes, the second time, it’s for real and he’s gasping for air. I was spared, he thinks. He sits up hurriedly and looks around, his head spinning so much at the sudden movement that he threatens to fall from the table he’s on. 

Table?

“Please do not move so quickly!”

He breathes heavily and looks around through half-lidded eyes. He’s at Sejukwon. He looks to the side and sees you on the second table in the room. You’re sitting already as a nurse fixes up an incense of sorts, and your eyes are trained on him— Wide and surprised. “Yul!” you exclaim, “What in the world?”

He just stares at you for a bit, lips parted without a single word coming out. “Are you okay?” he asks. There’s clear signs all around him that he really woke up, this time around, and that this is reality. But part of him wants to hear you to be sure. 

“You…” you sigh, closing your eyes for a moment. Then you give him a look of disbelief that makes it clear the others have told you about what he did to get you back— and that this really is for real. He feels his mouth tugging into a smile and his body relaxes again. 

“One could argue you’re worse than I am, you fool.” you scoff, “I’m… Well, I almost died of hypothermia, alright. That’s a feat. But I survived.” you deadpan, eyebrows furrowed, “However you have a concussion.”

He wouldn’t have it any other way. “Good.” he says.

“Not good, are you insane?”

He finds himself laughing at that and slowly lays back down, because he seriously thinks he might fall over if he doesn’t. He doesn’t mind the worried look the nurse gives him as she leaves when he continues to laugh, either. He’ll say it’s because of the concussion. He’s just relieved.

“Oh, so you really are insane.” you scoff.

A silence follows. He looks at you. You’re staring at him with a look of relief, which makes him wonder how much you worried while he was out. It’s past sunset already, so the room is slowly losing its light. Things are quiet around Sejukwon— They always are so the patients aren’t disturbed, but even more so when it’s later in the day. There’s no more worries.

Only thoughts about what happened means for you.

He calls your name and you hum. “Did they tell you?” he asks quietly, almost whispering, “The others.”

“About your heroic tales of saving?“ you half-joke, “Yes. They did, before leaving because it got late. Thank you.” this time, your voice loses its sarcasm halfway. Your expression is much too genuine for those thanks to sound anything but, anyways. He laughs.

“I meant the ribbon. What it meant.”

“We’re soulmates.”

Yul has to make an effort to breathe. You say it so easily, like it’s such a natural thing. And it… is. You are literally meant to be, it could not be anything more natural. In a way, it could make sense you would be so casual about it. But he also feels like he might be close to fainting all over again from how much these words make his head spin, so he can’t entirely agree that it does.

“Yes.” he pauses, to breathe, “That.”

“You don’t sound happy.”

“Please don’t tease me.”

You laugh slightly and get up from where you were sitting. You walk over to him and stand at his side. He stares up at you and smiles. “I’m happy.” he says, “I’m happier than I probably should be considering the circumstances.”

“Good. Me too.” you say, then your expression grows more serious. “I’m sorry you had to suffer this much to bring me back.”

“It’s okay.”

“I know it is. That’s your problem, Yul.”

“It is, isn’t it?” he chuckles, “Unfortunate that our souls are linked. I’ll try not to inconvenience you more than necessary, but I can’t do much about that.”

“Your nature of putting your life on the line for someone you care about, you mean?” you scoff, “I’ve been used to it, anyways. But the way you say this makes it all sound very official.”

Here comes his worst fear. An exaggeration? Maybe. Not entirely. He’s spent years at your side, and well over half of them pining after you. And though it was apparently evident to anyone that saw you two that the feelings were reciprocated, saying anything about them was terrifying. But now you’re soulmates. Or rather, you’ve always been. It doesn’t actually change anything. 

But it does give him the guts to actually ask. This is as much courage as he’ll ever get, anyways. So he sits up and stays quiet for a moment, then turns to look at you.

“Would you like to be with me?”

[fake-married-my-dead-fiance]

An important step in Jang Uk falling in love with Naksu is being jealous of Yul

S1, Ep 11:

and then again in S2, Ep 6:

Also very important to have the most drama queen response ever

[marthe-with-an-e]

Who is Mu-Deok?

Crown Prince Go Won: Filthy Mu-Deok? A stinky, insolent peasant, always causing trouble! But only I am allowed to say that. I’ll execute anyone who harms her.

Jin Cho-Yeon: Jang Uk’s maid. There’s something weird going on with her, and she always manages to cause problems. For me specifically.

Seo Yul: the soul of my childhood sweetheart and a dangerous assassin, inhabiting the body of an innocent girl. She is a monster but not the way people think. It will break my heart to kill her.

Park Dang-Gu: Uk’s maid! We all think she’s great! There seems to be a lot of trouble around her which is such a shame bc she’s lovely!

Jang Uk: my master, my servant. My love, my killer. My best friend, my torturer. The only one who knows me. Truly the other half of my soul. She would break any rule to be with me, and I would bend the laws of the universe for her. My wife, my obsession. My protector and my delicate bird egg to protect. No she doesn’t like me back.

Naksu: idk man I just live here

[gossamerorigins]

[the-marron]

Alchemy of Souls Meme Edition

To celebrate the second season being finally available, let’s enjoy the blorbos from the first one:

[slytherinshua]

THE BEST VOICE IN DAEHO

genre. fluff. warnings. kissing & they're a little whipped for each other tbh hehe. pairing. husband!seo yul x wife!reader. wc. 1.2k. a/n. yeah i'm delusional for him..... ugh hwang minhyun and all his characters <33 i love him guys :(

“You never told me you could sing.” You said softly from the doorway, gazing fondly into the room where your husband sat, flipping through a spell book. He looked up with wide eyes, his cheeks dusting a light pink. He hadn’t realized that you had been watching him for the past 10 minutes.

“I can’t.” He shook his head, acting as if he hadn’t just been absent-mindedly humming one of your favourite songs.

You crossed your arms and walked over to where Yul was sitting, “I don’t believe you.” You insisted. Your hands rested on his shoulders, massaging them gently to work out the stress they held. Yul sighed, eyes fluttering shut.

“This is why I shouldn’t allow you in the study.” He muttered, though he only leaned into your touch, showing no signs of wanting you to leave.

“The door was left open, though? If anything, I think that was a sign that you were hoping I’d come in at some point.” A smile grew on your face at the suggestion you were making. You and Yul both knew that he had just forgotten to close it because he had been too scatterbrained. You always kissed him before he left to work on something, leaving him flustered every time.

“I was hoping to finish reviewing this book of spells before it goes to get copied and sent to Jeongjingak…” He trailed off, tilting his head up to look at you with shining eyes. You just shrugged and placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Well, I was hoping to hear more of my lovely husband’s singing that he chose to hide from me for 2 years.” You laughed as Yul sighed again. You knew all his weaknesses, one of the biggest of which was when you called him your husband. It made his heart melt whenever he was reminded of it— that he was really truly yours forever and ever.

After successfully working out the knots in his shoulder, you moved a little higher, your fingers gently starting to work on his neck. You had him more than distracted by the pleasant massage and he tilted his neck a little to the side so you could more easily work on it. You moved a little closer to press a kiss to the side of his neck, hearing the small hitch in Yul’s breath because of it made you smile.

“I guess I’ll finish this later.” Yul whispered with a small smile, closing the spellbook and placing it on top of a stack of books on the table. You laughed slightly at your victory, your breath hitting Yul’s neck and causing goosebumps to spread on it. You pressed one more long kiss to his adam’s apple before pulling away.

“I want to hear you sing. I’m sure you’ll sound good.” 

“I think you should lower your expectations, my love. I’ve never studied how to sing.” He said simply, but you shook your head.

“My expectations are extremely high, so don’t disappoint me.” You joked, though it wasn’t entirely sarcastic. You had high expectations for everything your husband did, only because he seemed to be so good at anything he tried. He excelled in so many areas, and you would truly never get tired of seeing his proficiency. Whether it was spells, sword-fighting, bird whistling, writing letters, or kissing, he was an expert in all areas. 

The last two, you were especially familiar with. You had received dozens of letters from Yul before you were engaged, and each one was as heart-fluttering as the first. As for kissing… Well, you had daily reminders that there was no one that kissed better than him.

You weren’t quite sure how his lips were always so pillowy soft. In your two years of marriage, that had still stayed a mystery to you. You could daydream about the way his lips moulded with yours like an elegant dance, a perfect balance where neither was overbearing the other. He always kissed you with a gentleness that had you dizzyingly falling even deeper for him. 

Yul took a breath and closed his eyes, starting to softly sing the song he was before— this time from the beginning. It started out slow, deep honey-like notes blending together to create a glorious melody. His voice was soft and gentle; exactly what you would’ve expected from him. But it was somehow so much more than you could’ve imagined.

It wasn’t just soft, it was rich as well. As the song progressed to its chorus and the notes climbed higher and higher, he didn’t falter. His high notes sounded just as clear and perfect as his low notes did, and you quickly fell into the trance his voice had created. You wanted to hear him sing forever now that you had discovered this hidden treasure.

The song came to an end far too quickly, though you were sure he had been singing for at least four minutes. But four minutes just wasn’t enough— you craved more of the intoxicatingly sweet sound of his voice. He blinked open his eyes and smiled shyly at you.

“I hope it didn’t disappoint you?” He asked, still a little embarrassed about singing in front of you for the very first time. Of all the people on the earth, he wanted to impress you the most. He knew you were already his, and even if he failed at something it wouldn’t change your image of him, but the satisfaction of pleasing you was something he never got enough of.

“I didn’t know I married the man with the best voice in Daeho.”

Yul flushed at your comment, “I’m sure I don’t have the best voice in Daeho.”

“Well, it’s all subjective isn’t it? And I meant it when I said it.” You clarified and leaned a little closer, “Can you sing for me again?” 

Yul couldn’t possibly say no to you, especially not when you were looking at him with such soft love-stricken eyes. He seemed to get lost in them all too easily, glimmering as if the entire night sky of stars was captured in your irises. He leaned in slowly, not even realizing that he was drifting closer and closer to you until he felt your breath on his lips. He closed his eyes again and quickly captured your lips with his.

If it was anyone else, he would’ve been bothered that his work had been interrupted.

If it was anyone else, he wouldn’t have believed that they were telling the truth when they said he had the best voice.

And if it was anyone else, he wouldn’t have felt so shaken with the warm feeling of butterflies and comfort and adoration and love.

But it was you, so Yul didn’t particularly mind you distracting him; in fact, he couldn’t deny that he even liked it. Especially when it ended like this: with his lips on yours, the sweet taste of your lips ending up on his by the end of it.

“Of course I can sing more… Whatever you’d like.”

↳ k-drama taglist: @yeonjuns-redhair,, @wolfmoonmusic,, @edensgardenn

[huevokinder24]

Why Jang Uk and Naksu are perfect for each other and how the love triangle with Seo Yul only reinforces that:

Let's start with a quick character analysis, shall we?

First we have Yul, the model student, the one who's memorized all the rules by heart and follows them to the letter.

While he was in love with Naksu (or rather, the memory of her) his first instinct when he met her again in S1 was to doubt and suspect her.

As you can see here (EP 12 S1) he, very subtly, tells Uk they should get rid of Naksu since she's now a soul shifter, and a dangerous one at that. She's the shadow assassin, after all.

And let's be real, he never trusted her completely. Why would his first thought after she ran wild be "this could have been avoided if I'd reported her" otherwhise? He trusted Uk, but not Naksu.

This can be seen in the latest episode, EP 6. He may love her, but he still believes getting rid of her is better for everyone. Even though she herself doesn't know who she is. Even though she is harmless. His choice is still the same: to follow the rules, eliminate the thread, and maintain peace.

On the other hand we have Uk: the underdog. Underestimated, undermined and cast aside his whole life. He doesn't follow the rules, but rather his heart. How could he believe in a system that deemed him worthless? He doesn't owe anyone shit, because no one ever gave him a chance, none ever cared enough, until Naksu.

This is Uk's answer to Yul's "Naksu is dangerous". He doesn't condemn her, doesn't judge her, doesn't let prejudice win over what he knows about her. Never has. Because he's been there. Because he's been called useless, a silly nobleman who wasted his time and others's, a man who would amount for nothing. Until Naksu gave him the chance no one ever gave him before.

Naksu stabbed Uk. She killed him. And yet the moment he woke up, he was sure none of that was her fault, that Jin Mu was the mastermind somehow. Hell, even when he was dying in her arms he reached for her and interlaced their fingers in an "I love you" gesture. He NEVER doubter her, even while she drove a sword through his heart.

God, and look at this. He doesn’t give a damn about anything else, for him it’s all about her because she’s the one who gave him back the wings his father cut and his previous masters kept locked up.

Also, something the king said on EP 4 is very telling.

People love to talk about Naksu, love to gossip about her, but not a single one of them knows her. No one knows anything about her. Except Uk.

Uk, who looked beyond the assassin's facade and saw the affection-starved girl. The girl who often bought honey biscuits for him, the girl who made a certain type of noodles because she knew he liked them.

He saw the girl who was worth protecting, even dying for, while everyone else saw the girl that must be killed, the threat.

[my-drama-heart2406]

You know, I'm a part of Uk-Yeong nation just as much as anyone else.

But this...

And this

And of course this

He's ready with the ring

Let's not forget this

This is the real ship..🥰💖😁😂

[eggsaladstain]

it’s incredibly funny to me the way they just manhandle poor yul

Alchemy of Souls (tvN, 2022) 1.03 // 1.05 // 2.03

[manob]

Hello tis me again with another Alchemy of souls fanart heehee i love them