gilaswan

@mademoiselle Aiyoh… I’m also very invested in this couple. Hahahah… did not expect to be, but Rowoon and Boah’s chemistry is really very nice! There’s so much cute, yet so much seriousness, and good tension… it’s like the characters are very believable you know? And their portrayal of their Joseon vs present day selves are also very natural. You can tell the characters are different but there’s still a connection. 
 

I’m so happy lovey dovey is back! But not all is calm yet. Mr Gardener is still at large! I just think this potion thing is a bit odd though. So she fills her pink flask with the potion and pours some out for Jaegyeong which Shinyu drinks. Then she leaves her flask overnight at work and Branch Manager safe-keeps it for her and responds cheekily if he should not have drunk anything from it when asked. But let’s assume he didn’t cos… why would he? But then she takes the flask with her out to the field and still does not wash it out? Why would you bring a flask of potion with you when you don’t need it anymore or already had a possible drink scare with your boss? Again she misplaces it (exactly why Shinyu said to her, you might as well have poured it into River Han!), and Mr Gardener picks it up and says he drank it to find out what type of tea she drinks and even commented the water had an interesting taste to it. So I reckon he did drink it. But, eeeww… hygiene, people! Hygiene and Covid-19! Are we still sharing drinks with strangers? I do reckon Mr Gardener already liked her (for him to want to know what kind of drink she takes). Ingesting the love potion just brought out the worst in him.

So I reckon: 

• If you have no interest in the person, perhaps drinking it will make you notice the person, but

• if you do actually have an interest - like Shinyu and Mr Gardener - drinking it heightens emotions in you 
 

Oh! Cha Eun Woo? Pretty boy… hahahaha…

On 10/9/2023 at 6:53 PM, mademoiselle said:

My interpretation of this is he doesn't love her, so he can't be F about her infidelity. He doesn't want to waste time on another woman that isn't Hong Jo. That said, I do think he did sincerely feel bad about dumping her for Hong Jo, which is why he's acting all nice about it.

I do think Shinyu did feel it wrong that he was two-timing her which was why at the start he was trying very hard to have Hongjo rid him of the effects of the spell. That was until he probably realised that his feelings were independent of the spell (which I still have difficulty trying to logic out). I reckon the moment he found out about Nayeon’s affair, it just made it pointless to fight the spell’s impact on him - there was clearly no relationship to be had between them, only status and political gain, neither of which was attractive to him.

I’m still puzzling over the impact of the spell on Shinyu vs Gardener Man. Shinyu has seemed very aware of the effects of the spell on him, Gardener Man not so.

On 10/9/2023 at 6:53 PM, mademoiselle said:I think Shin Yu took over the land afterwards based on the letter he left to his descendants, and now passed on to Shin Yu. 

Having trouble editing on my iPad. Anyway, wanted to say that I think the king gave him a reward and he asked for Mount Onju. Hahaha…

10 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I want justice, so I want all 3 – Na Yeon, her dad and Lee Hyun Seo ousted!

Hahahaha... JUSTICE! JUSTICE! Yeah, I'd like it to all come clean, guts spilled for all to seeeeee!!! I just don't like the idea that Hongjo might still have that cloud of false guilt hanging over her with regard to her relationship with Shinyu. Also, Shinyu has been such a gentleman. Even after he knew about her affair with Lee Hyun Seo, he continued to take on the blame for ending their relationship. He never once questioned her actual fidelity towards him as well. Hmm... But yes, he was the one who wanted to end their relationship, not her. Just that she really needs to be put in her place, that Na Yeon. Tsk. 

Did Aengcho die on the mountain? Well, that entire plot of land including where the shrine was built belonged to the Jang family right? There was a scene where he was tending to her, and they showed her hands turning black. Was that a flashback scene after she was stabbed by him? Was she dying at that point already and he was just tending to her until she died? Or did she die on that snowy field soon after being stabbed? 

@mademoiselle Is it just us here too? 

One of my deaf friends (while they lament that the actors are themselves neither deaf nor real CODAs) agrees that the actors are doing a very good job. Other friends are lamenting that it's on VIU which they don't subscribe to. Hahaha... 

So far, I found last week's episodes (3&4) a tad slow in the story development aspect. I know that dad wasn't studious, nor was he deaf at birth, but this pushing and pulling (sorta) with that character that's likely to be Eun Gyeol's mum... can we stop with the sullen looks and aloof mannerisms already and just get on with the story telling? I dunno if anyone else feels this way about it, but I was starting to find that a bit tiresome. 

And Choi Hyun Wook got into a bit of trouble recently? Oh dearie me...

I actually do think Eun Gyeol might change the future though... Michael J. Fox's character did change some of the future for his parents in Back To The Future, so I wouldn't be surprised if some elements might change. His parents would still have to meet and fall in love though, else there won't be him in the future. 

Ah. One question - what’s this with the transfer of ownership of Mount Onju? The Jang Family gave the land to the government? Can’t be right?

@mademoiselle As we head into the last week of this show (I don’t want to leave this couple yet!!!) what are you hoping and wishing for?

I want to see her call him “oppa”! It shouldn’t be Nayeon calling him that. 

I want all of Nayeon’s affair and b*txhiness outed!!

I want them to get married!

I think it would be nice to see mum and dad get a happily ever after too. 

I’d like it if her colleagues got nicer. like really nicer. They have been quite a waste of time indeed. Including the manager and branch head’s “love story”. It got lame quite a while ago already. 

And Eun-wol Halmoni - I’m not so sure there’s a real purpose for her actually. Hmm… 

More cutes and lovey-doveyness!!

@mademoiselle Yep! I did watch the BTS. It was very cute lah. Very extremely cute. 🥰 

At the start of ep 10 after they go home following their New Year’s together, Hongjo goes through the spell book again and the mind-body cleanse spell is still intact. 🤔

I’ve been wanting to say this - I love Gidong too. He’s actually a very good sidekick. Where did he get those “coupons” he’d been cashing in on with Shinyu? I don’t remember seeing them anywhere… 

And the suits. Row on almost wears nothing. but suits save those few casual smart occasions. And almost always 3-pc suits. He looks so dapper in them. I love his black on black on black aesthetic. 
 

Was this series entirely pre-produced? They were filming through the seasons, were they? Story also seemed to span a period of at least 4+ months from Autumn into winter? 

Ah… and yes, you mentioned this before and I agree with you - I don’t like her bullying colleagues very much. They don’t seem to have grown as characters and continue to bully her still… very little movement in their relationship with with Hongjo.

4 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I have to post this. It's one of my favourite (octopus) scene. Hehehe.

I think this has to be the absolute cutest-cum-sweetest-cum-funniest-cum-most creative (and I could go on) scene that I’ve seen in kdramas to date! I love it! Love it, love it, LOVE IT! She’s so cute in her drunken state - so happy to be with him - and he’s so clearly loving her being this adorable. But then also rarr!! Him asking her if she would regret what she was or might be doing when she got sober, and I don’t think he meant her regretting being cute. Hahaha… they’re my new favourite Kdrama couple for sure.

About the episode 9 spell - she did say that the spell worked when he appeared at the bridge instead of going to Jeju. Could she have cast the seduction spell? But he also said that the spell working or not was immaterial by then - he clearly could tell he loved her in spite of the spell. Which makes me then wonder about Mr Gardener - if he was stalking her because he had drunk the love potion too, why does it seem he’s not as aware of it as Shinyu was? That bit’s kinda messed up.

Am at episode 9 now of my rewatch. Looks like Hongjo started liking Shinyu around episode 5 when he came to her drunk. That was the first time she blushed at what he said. By episode 7 when Jaegyeong confessed to her, she no longer blushed - she was still blushing after the fair skin spell was cast, so that didn’t stop the blushing. The spell did work though - many people at City Hall started saying she was pretty except the 2 men who clearly already found her attractive. I think she stopped blushing only cos she started getting comfortable with them.

What I’m picking up from the rewatch that I like - mum did not like Nayeon at all! I’m still wondering what will come of his parents’ relationship.  

@mademoiselle What spell did Hongjo cast in episode 9?

@mademoiselle I’ve got quite some thoughts on the latest episode and am still doing my re-watches (at episode 5 now), but yes… the statement about how things won’t end until life ends…

Someone said something similar to me once too - the story about a person is never fully written until life ends, therefore whether he/she is a good or bad person will not be fully known until his/her life ends. 

I reckon from a philosophical standpoint, what Eun-wol Halmoni means is that there is nothing seemingly that Hongjo can or cannot do to end this cycle of pain between them unless either of them dies. So they potentially take this pain with them to their death. I don’t reckon she was referring to the curse per se. So logically yes, you will feel the pain right up till your life as you know it ends. As she said, if they had lived separate lives and never encountered each other, they would each be none the wiser of their past lives. But since their karma was so strong, they were drawn together by their destinies, so they had no choice but to live it out. How it actually would end - whether pain would be the inevitable end - would actually remain to be seen. 

In my back watches, I noted that they both actually spoke of their destinies and whether they should head towards it like the way waves would simply carry you along to whichever destination it would go, or whether destinies could be fought. When things were still giddy for Shin-yu, he wanted to go where destiny would take him; Hong-jo said she wanted to fight it. Once they did come together with Shin-yu’s head screwed on right this time, he wanted to fight the supposed ill-fated end they were to have, while Hong-jo this time seemed ready to accept the despair thrown at her, which really was more in keeping with their characters - Shin-yu always said that despite growing up being told of the curse, he didn’t want simply to accept it and was always doing things as differently as he could; Hong-jo grew up accepting her poor lot in life and cowered into the sad existence she thought was simply how it was for her, from accepting being bullied and quitting school, to just accepting being bullied by colleagues. 

As things got difficult for them as a couple, you see Shin-yu trying to convince Hong-jo not to be fatalistic in her “acceptance” of her supposed role in his cursed life. He’s the one trying to fight it. And in his death when his heart stopped, I reckon it was out of determination that he continued to seek out the revelations and truth of their histories, to learn that he accepted the curse not because he deserved the curse but it was because he wanted to save her from a death that could possibly mean no possibility of reincarnation. And as she (Aeng-cho) died he expressed hope that if they had another shot at life together, it would be a happy one. With this revelation, he returns to the present, “resurrected” with affirmed belief that this was now exactly their shot at being happy. 

As you have proposed, I do reckon that the spells worked such that Aeng-cho’s curse was lifted - he wasn’t sick anymore and even when he started hallucinating again and saw the bloody hand, MRI scans revealed nothing. So he was well and truly alright. As you suggested, the hallucinations of the bloody hand was the black magic placed on him by Mr Gardener. Hong-jo’s awakening of her past life and images of the bloodied hand being hers gave her the wrong impression that she was the cause but she wasn’t actually. You’re probably right that there’s some more of the past life yet to be revealed to us, like, who did the actual cursing of the crown prince and what spell was she casting then? 

Whaddya think? 

They were lovely dovey even in Joseon. Hahaha... 

Last night’s episode was so full of pain but also so beautifully conveyed through their acting. I think they’re my favourite kdrama couple now. Hahahaha… There was so much tension between them in episode 13, I was half hoping that the writer/director would give us a reconciliation ending which we sorta did - I loved how protective Shinyu was of her, telling the police without skipping a beat that he was her boyfriend - but argh!! 

The two of them are a couple that’s still living the highly independent lives they have become so used to that they invariably place themselves and the other in danger - acting alone to check out the dug out pit, greenhouse, and now, checking out Mr Gardener Stalker on his own. Why did he do that??? For drama’s sake. 

And Eun-wol Halmoni… I don’t know what to make of her. She seems like such a pointless character. Nothing she has said so far is of any use to the couple in any way. Surely their coming together again in this lifetime must present as an opportunity to make right what went wrong before, right? If Hongjo is the reincarnation of a powerful shaman, can she not do something about the curse she supposedly cast? And is it only when she touches his face that he gets the severe chest pains right? Then don’t touch!! 😂 

We’re 3 episodes to the end. I still want to know exactly what their history was - why he killed her and was it for his own selfish gain to get the spell book? I somehow cannot imagine that to be the case, but did Aengcho know the real reason for it? Did he marry someone else while she was still alive? There’s no way he could have married a shaman anyway. I also want to know if Nayeon’s affair would be outed to more people - letting her off too easily if everyone thinks it was just a break up cos he fell out of like with her and was chasing skirts at the work place. 

And the spells. I reckon as @mademoiselle has said, the spells prolly did work. But he can’t be living under the love spell forever? Shinyu said again in Ep 13 that he was still under the spell and so the separation was more agonising for him, though I cannot imagine him to still be under the enchantment of the spell though. I’m more inclined to think that the moment she reciprocated and he realised he was actually in love with her, there was no need for the spell anymore and so the spell was broken. What if it was the same for the curse? Once they are able to overcome the challenges and come together as one, i.e. they end up marrying each other, the curse would also be nullified since he has not killed her this time round, but given her… new life together? 

@mademoiselle Arrrgghhhh!! How many times did my heart stop tonight?! Aaarrrggghhhh!!!

tonight's gonna be a lot of pain! oh noooo!!!

@mademoiselle Ooh! I didn’t think he had feelings at that point though? I did think he was intrigued by her at that point and if nothing else, felt for her loneliness.

I want to watch the rest of the commentary!

@mademoiselle Yes! That office kiss scene was very cute! And had a lot of potential to get more than cute. Hahaha... They do have a nice chemistry going, they really do. Not the sort that has a lot of tension between them (like the leads in AOS), but very watchable, and very believable. I like. 

I've rewatched till episode 4. I'm still really wondering if the spells did actually work. But therein lies the problem - if they did work, then how real are his feelings towards Hongjo now then? I want to think that the spells did not actually work, but right up to the start of episode 3, Shinyu did still seem as if he cared for Nayeon, even asking her to wait for him as he sorted himself out (presumably cos of his worsening illness). That part of the storyline isn't sitting well with me... At that point, he was still very much believing that Nayeon was nice and he was really outright nasty towards Hongjo. What are your thoughts?

I really love how natural the interaction was between them at his house, how cute she was, how sincerely concerned he was, how gently he spoke to her… aiyoh, so cute leh. The upcoming angst is just aaargh!

Anyway, I’m rewatching old episodes just to track the character development. I’m curious to see when he actually started liking her, and I don’t think the potions worked then. 

Separately, when Hongjo had that flashback of her as Aengcho writing the spell book, I actually half expected that she would write a new one in present day. I wonder if that will be the solution they’re looking for. 

Oh. I have to add. Drunk Jaekyung telling Hongjo that the height difference with Shinyu wouldn’t work was so funny too. Yes, I hope he doesn’t sell out on his uprightness! And Hongjo’s approach to the office kiss was certainly a lot cuter. I like her taking the lead on some of these interactions and not being as mousy as before. 

@mademoiselle When do you reckon Hongjo started falling for Shinyu?

@mademoiselle I too thought the koala/octopus leg cling was very cute! And I just learnt Rowoon is afraid of live octopus. Hahaha…

I liked this week’s installment and the very clear display of how differently he treats Hongjo compared to Nayeon. He quite very clearly had no feelings for Na Yeon - I cannot imagine him even ever kissing her at all! Prolly accepted it as part of a marriage arrangement for his father’s political allegiance. His father and mum’s relationship also seem odd… wonder how dad’s generation dealt with the curse. The relics from old seem to be left in Shinyu’s hands too (the latter written by his ancester/him). Would you leave something like that to your son if you were still around? Surely it’s of significant historical and ancestral relevance.

And yes too to the gardener simply walking out after arrest. Surely not so simple? What’s his actual motive for wanting to curse Shinyu too? Can it actually be that the love potion worked on him and so he’s trying to do this as a form of “revenge” on her for dating someone else? But it can’t be as simplistic as that, right? I want to know if his involvement has anything to do with the histories of their past lives. I’m still waiting to know how Eun Wol halmoni is involved with the family and how she knows all of this back history. 

@mademoiselle@Tofu it usually is rare that late deafened persons (especially if as the story suggests, dad lost his hearing likely in late teens/early young adulthood) end up opting to go voiceless in their coms. Many remain able and comfortable to voice for themselves although possibly young enough to pick up Sign fluently and interact comfortably in the Deaf community still (I picked up Sign in my mid-teens and am fluent in it now, spending equal time within both the Deaf and hearing communities). It is very likely that trauma (whatever it might have been) has caused him to reject speech and the hearing community, cos Dad in the present seems to have a strong dislike for the Hearing.

Who is present day “Yoon Dong Jin”?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2023/09/27/music-makes-life-magic-in-the-k-drama-twinkling-watermelon/?sh=4db1b90d7cd8

@mademoiselleYes! Much glee! But Mayor is being slimy even though his daughter did wrong, she she didn’t come clean with dad. I don’t like that! It’s got to be scandal level outing for all she’s done to Hongjo!

And the pain has come without sufficient cute first!!!

@mademoiselle Are you out in Australia? I agree with you - those bangles don't look particularly pretty nor classy to me. They do look like locks. Maybe that's the idea. hahaha...

Why did Hongjo decide to investigate the pit that was dug out? This gardener dude is really starting to creep me out. And Hongjo also - not very wise to go out there into the woods on her own right? Especially when she's clearly being stalked - from voodoo effigy to illegally taken photos. 

When is ex-gf going to be outed?? I want her outed!!!

Finally watched episode 2 and I must say the actors are doing a very good job with the signing despite not being deaf nor CODA themselves, especially actor Choi Wonyoung. He's got the mannerism and very use of non-manual markers down in a convincing manner. I'm usually quite critical of non-deaf signers pretending to be deaf (I should stop being so critical actually ), but truly, their hearing-masquerading-as-deaf is not distracting. I am enjoying the show and story.

The scene where Eungyeol was arguing with his dad was particularly emotional - I could feel myself choking up. The frustration Eungyeol felt, and the equal despair Dad had (given the duality of his being Korean and the harsh culture there, and Deaf). It's unfortunate but true in many ways that hearing CODA (especially in earlier generations) are unwittingly placed in situations where they are truly forced to grow up sooner than they should. Even the scene when he was younger and the hearing adults say unkind things and he filters them for his parents - not ethical from an interpreter's POV, but for a child in a family, hearing hurtful things not meant for children, about their parents who are meant to be adults they look up to. It's very tough. 

Then that other scene with the interpreter outside the police station where the former landlady was badmouthing dad and Eungyeol. I thought the interpreter acted very unprofessionally by the code of ethics for sign language interpreters. But then, I can imagine it happens in some cultures still. And that's where Deaf persons start to develop distrust of private interpreters, hence falling back on family as the preferred interpreter (though there are ethical issues with this). WIth Eungyeol wanting to move in a direction away from what his Dad wanted for him, trust is also shattered. Aiyoh... so heartbreaking for everyone involved. 

Show's story seems to be a mishmash of the 2021 movie "CODA" and Back to the Future. I hope it doesn't disappoint as the story unravels!