(FINAL update) How can NakYeon survive?

FINAL update (2023-01-08).

NOTE: This is only how I understood and reconciled things from an in-universe perspective. It does not mean this is how you should interpret the show.

Legend

• Bu Yeon = the actual soul of Jin Seol Ran (the real soul of Jin Bu Yeon never returned, confirmed in Part 2: episode 10))
• Nak Su = the actual soul of Nak Su
• NakYeon = the NEW IDENTITY in Part 2; a.k.a. Cho Yeong (her original birth name)
• Body = literally the body; a.k.a. Mu Deok
• Divine Power = it's in the Body, not Bu Yeon (Bu Yeon was the source of the energy for it; as well as the controller/key)

As of Episode 5, it is starting to appear that this is going to be a story about NakYeon's survival as a new identity.

Updates

• Episode 7
  • Master Lee lied to Jin Mama about removing Bu Yeon's soul to save the Body.
    • OR: When Master Lee was about to remove Bu Yeon's soul, Bu Yeon talked to him and coerced him to do her bidding.
  • Bu Yeon's soul is still in her Body
  • Once Bu Yeon's soul consumes the energy of Nak Su, Nak Su will disappear and Bu Yeon will have control of the Body again.
  • PROVEN: As per Master Lee, Bu Yeon planned everything from the beginning.
    • Part 1 was about Bu Yeon's plan. Bu Yeon simply used Nak Su.
    • Apparently, as per Master Lee, everything is still going according to Bu Yeon's plan, and she is still using Nak Su.
• Episode 8
  • Bu Yeon has weakened (end of Part 1) and needs to recover
  • Nak Su's energy is feeding the Divine Power, so it can keep the petrification at bay.
  • Since Jang Uk knows Hwansu, he can choose to remove Bu Yeon.
    • But it is forbidden.
    • NOTE: This was what Master Lee was going to do, but for some reason ended up not doing it.
• Episode 9 and 10
  • As was guessed in Part 1, Bu Yeon's soul is Jin Seol Ran.
    • The real soul of Bu Yeon never returned.
    • The soul that entered the baby was the soul of Jin Seol Ran.
  • As has been mentioned before, Part 1 is about and was planned by Bu Yeon.
    • Bu Yeon's objective was to retrieve the Ice Stone.
  • Part 2 revealed:
    • Bu Yeon (i.e. Seol Ran) attracted Nak Su (as was said before (even in Part 1)), Bu Yeon needs Nak Su for her plans).
    • Bu Yeon, in Part 1, taught Nak Su not only to lead her to make decisions favourable for her (Bu Yeon) plans, but also because Bu Yeon also planned to give control of the body to Nak Su.
    • Jang Uk was part of Bu Yeon's plan (as was mentioned before, too)
  • Master Lee is alive because he entered a dead body of a boy.
    • He practically hinted that if a soul enters a dead body, they would not suffer petrification, thus, they won't need to consume a living person's energy.

The situation

• The Body's Divine Power needs energy to fight back the petrification process.
• Without Bu Yeon (the soul), there is no source of energy/controller.
  • As of Episode 7, Master Lee admitted that Bu Yeon's soul is still in the Body, contrary to what he said to Jin Mama in the premier episodes.
• Nak Su (the soul) has become the source of energy (thanks to Master Lee).
• If the balance/process is interrupted, the Body will not have an energy source, thus it will reject Nak Su and restart the petrification (as explained by Master Lee).
• Side effects of this delicate balance:
  • Nak Su's memories, and the Body's Divine Power, are inaccessible.
  • A new identity was born: NakYeon
• Episode 7: Bu Yeon is using Nak Su's energy to “revitalise”. Once Nak Su's energy is consumed, Bu Yeon will re-emerge and take over the Body, and Nak Su will disappear.
• Episode 8: Jang Uk knows Hwansu, and can choose to remove Bu Yeon and keep Nak Su in the body.
  • This was what Master Lee originally meant to do.
• Episode 8: Bu Yeon finally admitted she is only using Nak Su, and will discard her after she achieves her goals.
  • But, as she has weakened because of the events in the ending of Part 1, Bu Yeon was not able to discard Nak Su.
  • Now, she is consuming Nak Su's energy to recover her own energy. Once Bu Yeon's own energy is back, she will be able to take back control of the Divine Power, and be stronger than Nak Su, enabling her to remove Nak Su.
• Episode 9 and 10
  • Bu Yeon is actually Jin Seol Ran (I, and others, posited this back in Part 1)
  • Bu Yeon meant by making Nak Su disappear, only temporarily. Bu Yeon never intended for Nak Su to disappear permanently.

The NakYeon dilemma

1. She is starting to reject Nak Su's memories.
2. She is starting to feel jealous of Nak Su.
3. She is rejecting that she is a priestess.
4. She does not want to be the heir of the Jin clan.
5. She is resenting her role as a priestess and her divine power because of Jin Mama.
6. She is in love with Jang Uk as NakYeon, not as Bu Yeon, and not as Nak Su.

This is a problem because she will not have control over Nak Su's energies; nor the Body's Divine Power. The warning of Master Lee will become a reality: the Body will reject Nak Su. Without the energy from Nak Su, the Body will not have a source of energy to use its Divine Power. She will petrify permanently.

NakYeon can only survive

1. If she accepts that Nak Su was her past. It is no longer her, but she can not deny her past, she needs to embrace it. Only then will she have control over Nak Su's energy.
2. She also needs to accept that she is a priestess, with Divine Power, and the rightful heir of the Jin clan. This is the only way she will have control over the Body's Divine Power.
3. To do both, she needs to be strong and assert herself as NakYeon. She is the new identity. She is neither Bu Yeon nor Nak Su.

The Body is hers. The souls in that body are also hers.

It is the only way for the body to stop rejecting the soul in it. It is the only way to permanently stop the petrification because the soul will no longer be treated as a parasite.

Episode 9 and 10 ending to the NakYeon dilemma

1. It was not clear if Bu Yeon (a.k.a. Jin Seol Ran) left the body, because in the last scene, both of her eyes glowed blue:
   • The mark of a soul shifter
   • The mark that there are two souls in the body
2. In the scene when Bu Yeon woke up the soul of Nak Su, they were in the same place when the souls of Bu Yeon and Nak Su first met in Part 1.
   • It's a depiction of the internal place within the body of the two souls.
   • Bu Yeon (a.k.a. Jin Seol Ran) is more likely still in the Body. Bu Yeon is simply sleeping.
     • This is similar in Part 1 when it was first revealed that Bu Yeon takes control of the Body when Nak Su is sleeping.
3. WIthout Bu Yeon, Nak Su will reject the Body and will petrify if she does not consume a living person's energy. The side effect of Alchemy of Soul (instead of using Hwansu).
   • Like in Part 1, it was Bu Yeon that kept the petrification at bay through the Divine Power
     
   • It was also showed in Part 1 that the Divine Power can purify the energy consumption process.
   • In Part 2, since Bu Yeon has regained her energy, the Divine Power can tap on Bu Yeon's energy instead of Nak Su's energy.
   • Once again, the Diving Power is at work putting the petrification at bay, just like in Part 1. The only difference is, there is no more need for Bu Yeon to wake up.
4. In the end, NakYeon, or as herself has chosen, Cho Yeong, survived.
   • She still is a new identity. If the English translations are correct, the way NakYeon/Cho Yeong speaks is still detached to her past identity as Nak Su.
   • And she also has full control of the Body's Divine Power.
     • Which Bu Yeon probably relegated control to NakYeon, since she decided to sleep.

Some other notes

• Jin Mu said, she has the face of Nak Su, but has a different energy. She has divine powers, but her energy is not of Bu Yeon.
• Master Lee said:
  • The Body, or Mu Deok, is still alive while petrified because of the Divine Power.
  • Episode 1: He said that the only way to save the Body is to remove Bu Yeon's soul; then Nak Su's energy will be used as source of energy for the Body. Doing so will enable the Divine Power to reverse the petrification.
  • This points to the following:
    • Bu Yeon, even at a weakened state, still had full control over the Divine Power.
    • Because of Bu Yeon's weak energy, the only thing the Divine Power can do was to keep the Body alive.
    • Also, Master Lee, can not simply use Nak Su's energy as the new source of energy for the Body. Bu Yeon must go.
• However, as of Episode 7:
  • Master Lee revealed that Bu Yeon is actually still in the Body.
  • And that everything is still going according to Bu Yeon's plans.
  • This hints to the following:
    • When Master Lee tried to remove Bu Yeon, she probably talked to him.
    • Bu Yeon convinced Master Lee to keep her inside because it is her own body. She will slowly consume Nak Su's energy and make it her own.
    • Once Bu Yeon recovers, she will once again become the energy source of the Body and the Divine Power.
    • Since Bu Yeon will be stronger than Nak Su, she can finally eject Nak Su. Which was her plan all along, if she was not weakened at the end of Part 1.
• Master Lee said NakYeon should not use her Divine Power, because:
  • He agreed with Bu Yeon that the best course of action is to let Bu Yeon consume Nak Su's energy and make it her own.
  • This way, at least one person can be saved, and that is the owner of the Body, Bu Yeon herself.
  • However, NakYeon still ended up using the Body's Divine Power, which made the lock on Nak Su's memory weaker and weaker.
  • While things are still going according to Bu Yeon's plans, and he agreed to it, things still happened contrary to it. He is considering that maybe, just maybe, Jang Uk and Nak Su are meant to be together.
    • Episode 10: He realised they are indeed meant to be together. He officiated their marriage, even suggested it himself.
    • He probably understood at that time, Bu Yeon will wake up Nak Su and give her control of the Divine Power and the Body. But he chose not to tell the couple to ensure they do what they were meant to do (he's a believer in fates).
• Jin Bu Yeon's baby body was already dead, Jin Seol Ran's transfer into that body was similar to Hwansu (like Master Lee), no side effect, even though the Ice Stone was used.
  • Even if there is a side effect (because of the Ice Stone), Jin Seol Ran's energy was very powerful, and the Divine Power in the Body was also powerful to push back the petrification (as we've seen in Part 1).

Memorable

1. Born as Cho Yeong
2. Grew up as Nak Su, the assassin
3. Lived as Mu Deok
4. Resurrected as Bu Yeon (Part 2 version of Bu Yeon, not 'Bu Yeon as Seol Ran') 
   
5. Reborn as Cho Yeong (a.k.a. the NakYeon identity)

NOTE: This is only how I understood and reconciled things from an in-universe perspective. It does not mean this is how you should interpret the show.

Wow! This explanation is mind blowing! Thanks

I've no ideas. Maybe with the help of the ice stone. 

And I've a big problem with writers inventing new ways for FL to die at the end game. What was that new sh*it from master Lee that the body will reject her for her memories (!), of all things, and she'll start running wild again? How does that even make sense considering that previously it was established that the reason soul shifters run wild is because their souls don't resemble possessed bodies?

 Rrika:

I also don't understand why he said to mama Jin that once the body will take the soul owner's shape, she won't run wild. And that if she regains her devine power, she will also regain her (Naksu's) memories. Now he added to that theory that once she regains her power, she will regain her memories then the body will reject the soul.

Actually, he did not. He already said it multiple times to Jin Mama. As you'll notice, I've been saying it too before episode 6.

It is not by taking the owner's shape that she won't petrify, it is the Divine Power and Nak Su's energy working in tandem that will keep the rejection at bay.

As Master Lee said, even before episode 6, as long as she doesn't regain her Divine Power and her memories, the body will not reject Nak Su nor the petrification restart.

What changed in episode 6 was how the tandem works.

In episode 6, he made a self comment that it is not Nak Su's memories that will put the delicate balance he created in jeopardy, rather, it is regaining access to the Body's Divine Power.

This is why Jin Mama is trying hard to hide NakYeon because she understood the warning of Master Lee, she must not have access to the Body's Divine Power. The memories are the sign she is accessing the Body's Divine Power.

Master Lee, in episode 6, is still worried. He hasn't observed her yet at that point. As far as he is concerned, NakYeon must never have access to the Body's Divine Power, because if Nak Su's memories return, the Nak Su identity will re-assert itself.

Once the Nak Su identity reasserts itself, it will have control over her own energy. Her energy is being used to "power up" the Divine Power to put the petrification at bay. This was also explained by Master Lee before episode 6 when he said he needs to remove Bu Yeon's soul. The reason is two-fold: (1) Bu Yeon is the one with control over the Divine Power (naturally, it's her body); and (2) Bu Yeon's energy has weakened considerably, and the Divine Power needs an energy source (again, Master Lee said so).

When he removed Bu Yeon's soul, the Body's Divine Power no longer have a “controller”. It is raw. However, it requires an energy source. Master Lee used Nak Su's tremendous energy as the source for the Divine Power. By doing this, the Divine Power was able to reverse the petrification.

Why did the Body resembles Nak Su? It was because the energy source is Nak Su's, and there is only one soul. The Divine Power is simply that, a Divine Power. It just did what it is supposed to do, restore the body, reverse the petrification and keep it at bay.

So, you see, the two works hand-in-hand. This was what Master Lee warned Jin Mama about, since he helped restore the Body. He explained it before, what he said in episode 6 was only a clarification which triggers which. That is, the Divine Power is the one locking up Nak Su's memories.

As long as the Nak Su identity stay locked-up, the Body will not recognise her as a parasite soul. Master Lee practically said that the reason for the petrification is not that a soul is a parasite, rather, it is about the soul's memories. He is hinting that it is actually the soul that is rejecting the body, not the body rejecting the soul.

This is why, my theory is, the only way for NakYeon to survive is for the NakYeon identity to assert itself once the Nak Su identity returns. She needs to fight and stand firm that she is NakYeon, and Nak Su is simply her "past life", she's dead.

Again, that's the theory as of episode 5. Nothing much changed in episode 6 other than it is the Divine Power that is locking up the Nak Su identity. The more NakYeon uses the Divine Power, the less hold the Divine Power has over the Nak Su identity.

Sorry it's long.

 ubahrubatuba:

I think I read somewhere that we are going to find out that Naksu's Mother was some big power and perhaps that will play a part?

Ahh, I haven't heard of that, but it is going to be a very interesting twist.

 ubahrubatuba:

the blood parasite out of Yul - that makes sense and the fire bird.

Yep.

 ubahrubatuba:

Am I the only one who thinks Master Lee knows more than he is letting on??

Nope.

Master Lee is very old. He used Hwansu to soul shift, and so far, it appears that he doesn't need to consume human energy because his soul shift was through Hwansu.

That said, he has been hunting down soul shifters who used the AoS and soul ejector methods. It is the one that requires consuming a human energy, so he's hunting them down.

It isn't far-fetched that Master Lee knows far more about soul shifting (Hwansu, AoS/soul ejector) than he is letting on. He probably experimented in the past too, and that explains why he immediately knew how to save the Body with two souls in it.

This knowledge, that appears to be only him knows, is being revealed one-by-one in Part 2.

 Rahul Raj:

i hope she survives. But, seeing the latest episode , it seems it is going to be a sad ending.

I was worried about that too, so I looked up other Hoong sisters series that I've watched and they end relatively happy, The Master's Sun is definitely happy and  A Korean Odyssey  leaves the door open for a happy ending; so fingers crossed. 

 Yoana K:

Maybe the Fire bird will be part of her survival.

yep , hoping so

Updated as of Episode 7.

New information:

Master Lee said the following:

• Everything is still going according to Bu Yeon's plan. Bu Yeon is still using Nak Su.
  • I explained this before, Part 1 was actually a story about Bu Yeon and her plans.
  • Apparently, it is starting to appear that Part 2 is still part of Bu Yeon's plans, she only used Nak Su in Part 1, and she is still using Nak Su in Part 2.
• Once Bu Yeon consumes the energy of Nak Su, Nak Su will disappear and Bu Yeon will re-emerge and take control of her body again.

This is why Master Lee doesn't want NakYeon to use the Body's Divine Power. By using the Divine Power, Bu Yeon's hold over Nak Su is weakening, which is allowing Nak Su's memory to leak.

In the end, we still go back to NakYeon asserting her identity and maybe, just maybe, she can merge the souls of Bu Yeon and Nak Su.