Twinkling Watermelon 반짝이는 워터멜론 [2023]

[Alice Wonderland]

He travels back in time and change the past in the process. It's no womder he couldn't back to the present now. He needs to fix things to make sure his parents united. What he wants is saving his dad from his accident but if he do so their present wont be the same. I wanna see how it works for both. 

 

CHW is just a good actor. Plus, he is handsome! Hahaha. Why do I feel like he's quite similar to JKY? Don't you guys see this too?

 

[gilaswan]

Have been very invested in our Shin-Hong couple, but finally watched episode 5 this morning - and I'm finding this push and pulling with Dad's young self and the "mysterious" Se Kyung getting a bit tiring. And also with mum being absolutely quiet and non-responsive to anyone or anybody. That's gotten old already. Goodness. Deaf people don't behave that way!!! I hope they move things along soon. It's been moving so slowly I thought I had only watched 2 episodes when I decided to resume my watch today. 

 

[gilaswan]

On 10/12/2023 at 9:37 AM, Mizv said:

I overlooked this drama multiple times until I noticed Seol In Ah in the ad.  
Thrilled to have a deaf family and CODA.  I find myself analyzing the Korean Sign Language. I honestly am tempted to look up the signs because some signs I can recognize in ASL are the total opposite meaning in KSL.  I’m refraining because I prefer to enjoy the story first then analyze later. 
 

The back to the future thing is interesting and a bit complex.  If the past is changed. Then the ML wouldn’t exist!

that is my two cents for now. 

Ah, KSL and ASL are totally different. I'm picking up some KSL signs now. Time to pull out that KSL dictionary! Hahaha... Are you fluent in ASL?

Anyway, another gripe from me - the deaf trope that hearing people love to employ - I cannot sense that a car is right behind me and so I might get run over. First of all, Deaf people (like hearing people) wouldn't walk in the middle of the road. Who wants to risk getting run over by a car, hearing or deaf? Secondly, Deaf people are a lot more spatially aware than hearing people. Didn't Dad exactly say that when 12yo Eungyeol asked how he knew that Eungyeol was in trouble in the water? That annoyed me some. But otherwise... let's continue with the watch... 

[mademoiselle]

New stills

I've yet to watch the latest episode, but these stills and the preview suggested Yi Chan had an accident and lost his hearing.

[mademoiselle]

• So it wasn't an accident that caused the loss of hearing. Yi Chan was beaten up after being tricked (looking for Eun Gyeol). I don't like this. Because Eun Gyeol is going to blame himself for indirectly causing this, isn't it?
• Who do you guys think Se Kyung's first love is? Eun Gyeol? Yi Chan?
• The part that Yi Chan found out Eun Gyeol has been doing all sorts of part-time jobs to buy him the guitar was a bit 🥹. Yi Chan really saved a universe to have such a good, filial son!
• It kind of sux that episode 7 has so little Eun Gyeol.

[Alice Wonderland]

At first I was a bit sceptical with time-travel theme drama. But from ep 3 onwards it's getting more interesting. Glad it's not just about romance, there is a meaningful purpose for this trip to all the characters who sent back to the past. The journey to uncover the mystery of your parents life in the past. What makes them like today and the trip itself will make these travelers learn their lessons. I'm sure that's what the la vida music bar guy wants from them. I love how he always tries to keep the past wont mess with the present with his wisdoms. At first he appeared to be annoying for not giving much hints to them but now it feels like his hints are enough for the two to find the answers by themselves. 

 

Ep 8 is felt even much better. A lot of things r going on pretty fast and exhilrating. One hours gone shortly. I love the scene of him getting back to 2023 to be happy back with his family but then his present changed, then how smart he is snatching back the written pledge and helping his mom from the evil witch. Feeling so sad for him when he takes some moments for calming himself before starting their lesson. And I love the part him asking of her condition with the sign language. That is so gentle and cool! Suddenly, HEG becomes super handsome in my eyes 😍 like his handsomeness level up more! You see the writer makes the characters take turn to shine here. I almost drop this half way of episode two. But random IG post of the drama teased me back to continue it. I'm glad I did. As long as this drama still has it's standard logic that is acceptably understood, I'm in for the whole ride! Ah, gonna wait another long week for next episodes!

 

@SilverMoonTea tagging you along here, I'm watching this and I think this is too early to say my final verdict. But 8 eps r pretty good so I dare to invite you in. Haha. After this, I'm going back for continuing TKD. The asian games kinda mess with the airing schedule of it so I feel like I lost some moments with this drama. 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Alice Wonderland

[Tofu]

I am so happy that Eun Gyeol finally met his Omma! I have been waiting for this reunion and would often tell @mademoiselle that I will drop the drama if this reunion doesn't happen soon. 

 

From when Eun Gyeol stopped the step mom from hitting his Omma to his speech of why he wants to teach her sign language, he truly is his parent's angel. You can tell that Eun Gyeol, despite being the only one who can communicate with his voice, grew up very loved. 

 

I thought it was cute that Yi Chan was trying to learn how to say thank you in sign language so he could thank Chung Ah. I hope he gets to practice what he learned later on. I think that Yi Chan will slowly lose his hearing from this incident, but I'm hoping that something else happens instead. I can't imagine the guilt Eun Gyeol will internalize if he found out he was the reason for his Appa's hearing loss. 

 

 

[Alice Wonderland]

4 hours ago, Tofu said:

I can't imagine the guilt Eun Gyeol will internalize if he found out he was the reason for his Appa's hearing loss. 

I get confused for this part. This happens cuz he looked for EG but before EG traveled back to 1995, he also got into accident which lead him to his hearing disability. I hope the writer will have a good reason for doing this. 

[mademoiselle]

@Tofu The scene where he's communicating with Omma was so touching. Ryeoun looks so good in school uniform. Aren't you glad that was all a dream? If it happened, I might have dropped the drama due to it being illogical. I was so close to ranting in here, that's not how Back to the Future did it

 

I wonder if Eun Gyeol was meant to travel to 1995 and caused this series of events. Having said that, I really hope this isn't the incident that caused Yi Chan to lose his hearing. Eun Gyeol is feeling guilty enough about the fire incident.

 

Edited October 19, 2023 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

New stills

 

 

[gilaswan]

Am finally caught up! 

 

Loved the scenes relating to Chung Ah and her very ignorant family, Eun Gyeol’s discovery of this past which his mum never told him, and him convincing his grandfather to let him tutor his mum. Made me tear. These stories are unfortunately so often true. 

 

One thing that does not make sense though (I reckon it’s dramatic licence for them) - in reality if her parents wanted her to learn to speak, they would have either given her hearing aids or a cochlear implant - she has neither. She totally does not speak, does not voice, shows no semblance of an oral upbringing. Without that, how could she even reasonably pick up written language to survive up to High School? Surely it’s not all painting for them only? And she can certainly write. In reality if she was as language deprived as they suggest her to be, fully learning KSL only in her late teens, she would not be as able in school. 

 

What I’m curious about now - was the lady who first taught Chung Ah KSL her real mum or governess? She’s in the same class as her sister/half-sister? So she’s a mistress’s daughter? But if a mistress’s daughter and the father also wants to hide her disability, then would she not have been abandoned rather than taken into the family, especially since she’s not even a son (given their cultural norms still in the mid-90s)?

 

What I’m waiting excitedly to happen - Eun Gyeol finding out that “Se Kyung” is actually Eun Yoo from the future too! But ah… what clashing agendas they have. 

 

I feel that pacing in the show could still be better. Scenes of Yi Chan’s antics honestly bore me and I fast forward through them. 

Edited October 24, 2023 by gilaswan

[mademoiselle]

@Tofu You were right. Reflecting on what I've just seen in episode 9, it's a filler and seem like a rehash about the festival performance and making a deal only to break it again. I want to see more Eun Gyeol and Omma! There's no progress at all!

 

Does Omma actually understand all the sign language or not? Last episode it doesn't seem like she does, and this episode, everyone is trying to sign at her! And agree @gilaswan, I was also wondering how did Chung Ah learn to write when she can't hear or finish learning signing?

 

I feel that Eun Yoo and Eun Gyeol should at least notice each other might be from the future based on how they speak, no? Kids these days speak very differently to the past.

 

I just want to see some progress in Eun Gyeol and Omma, and them doing some band practice. I actually really like the music bit.

[gilaswan]

On 10/24/2023 at 6:13 PM, mademoiselle said:

Does Omma actually understand all the sign language or not? Last episode it doesn't seem like she does, and this episode, everyone is trying to sign at her! And agree @gilaswan, I was also wondering how did Chung Ah learn to write when she can't hear or finish learning signing?

 

I feel that Eun Yoo and Eun Gyeol should at least notice each other might be from the future based on how they speak, no? Kids these days speak very differently to the past.

 

I just want to see some progress in Eun Gyeol and Omma, and them doing some band practice. I actually really like the music bit.

I think that she’s learnt enough to recognise some of the signs. She did tell Se Kyung/Eun Yoo that she’s only started learning so she doesn’t yet know many signs.  Not uncommon that hearing people sometimes sign better than deaf people who picked up signs late. 
 

I reckon we don’t know enough Korean maybe to know if the speech patterns have become vastly different? They seem quite exposed to English already in their portrayal of 1995… wouldn’t know how the vernacular might have changed in that time. But I do want them to find out soon. Eun Gyeol almost got it except that Eun Yoo encountered the shop while in the US.

 

And yes, I would very much like more of the band. We’ve already passed the halfway mark and there’s so little of the band still!

 

The ending to episode 10 was interesting - that’s the real Yoon Dongjin in 2023… do we assume he speaks before history changed? Because in 1995, it would seem he did not become part of the band. The band will also “debut” under a different name - Watermelon Sugar.

[mademoiselle]

 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

I really like Eun Gyeol. So even though the show isn't really giving me what I want (him and family…), I still want to know what happen next. I don't really care about his romance with Eun Yoo, but I foresee that happening since the start.

 

Looks to me, Chung Ah's father does love her, but doesn't know how to love her/communicate with her. Plus, there's that part where he doesn't want people to know of her disability, which is quite common back in the days. Maybe Eun Gyeol will be the bridge that reconnect him with Chung Ah. That would also change his mother's future, so that she didn't completely lose contact with her father.

 

As for Yoon Dong Jin and the band, yeah, did this future change? I think it wasn't supposed to be “Watermelon Sugar”, and I thought it's going to be called “Twinkling Watermelon”?

 

I also think Eun Yoo, having developed a panic attack from her friend's death and no longer able to play cello, she might find a new path in photography.

 

@gilaswan Yup, it's clearer in episode 10 that she doesn't understand all the signs, and had to ask Eun Gyeol. It seems like Eun Yoo learnt her signing from Eun Ho, isn't it? Funny how Eun Ho has so many girlfriends , but I don't think they are really dating per se.

 

 

By the way, I kinda think the story should have Eun Gyeol kissed Eun Yoo, knowing that she's not Ahjumma. Isn't it weird that he's attracted to her, thinking she's Ahjumma?

[gilaswan]

@mademoiselle Like you, I'm not invested in the romance bit, would have liked more KSL interactions within the family, but generally very keen to know what's gonna happen to Eun Gyeol and the future his actions will bring. I feel like Dad will still lose his hearing, but the outcome might not be as devastating as it was before, because I think Eun Gyeol will be there to help him through, possibly get through college despite his deafness - I hope both parents make it to a college degree (so rare for the Deaf of that generation) and it changes life for them significantly in the future where their voice becomes more significant in the present. 

 

Was Eun Yoo one of the girls Eun Ho was dating? or befriended? The one he could not let go of?

About Eun Gyeol kissing Eun Yoo as Se Kyung, I know what you mean, but I think the point of the voice-over narration was that it was the first time he was reckless. So that abandonment of logic made sense to me. 

[mademoiselle]

@gilaswan I'm not invested in their romance, mainly because the drama isn't doing really well developing it. I don't know if I'll become invested later (unlike DWY's latter stage), but right now, they are not giving off a compatibility vibe.

 

+1 — I also wanted to know the “Back to the Future” line of what Eun Gyeol has done and changed in his future. Get through college? As in enter into college only, right? Because if he stayed till they finished college, how long would he have to stay? Haha.

 

I'm only asking this because I really don't know: don't the Deaf need to go to special school/college? General Universities would not be able to cater to their special condition, isn't it? For example, how do the lecturer make sure they understand what was taught in the lecture? Not unless they can read lips, and I find Chung Ah and Yi Chan unlikely able to read lips, as they have started learning too late.

 

Eun Yoo is one of the girls Eun Ho is seeing, for sure. But whether it's “dating”, I don't think so. Yeah, she's the one with the cello (as he mentioned), and didn't want to “break up” with because she's special.

 

By the way, I'm still curious who Se Kyung's first love is. The only candidate I have left now is Yoon Dong Jin. I don't think is Yi Chan because she has left for US already before anything deeper could happen. As for Eun Gyeol, same thing logic I have for Yi Chan. Not enough time to develop that feeling.

[Tofu]

On 10/23/2023 at 7:58 PM, gilaswan said:

One thing that does not make sense though (I reckon it’s dramatic licence for them)

I had the same thought. It would be hard for Chung Ah to pick up written language if she was never put into classes for that or even speech therapy. I don't understand Korean, so I don't know how good it is but looking at my brother, he was in a lot of special ed classes and speech therapy all his life. Even with that, sometimes his sentence structures are not always grammatically correct. That being said, I just shrugged this off as the drama being what it is, a drama -- sometimes it'll be realistic and sometimes it won't be. 

 

On 10/26/2023 at 5:43 AM, mademoiselle said:

I'm only asking this because I really don't know: don't the Deaf need to go to special school/college? General Universities would not be able to cater to their special condition, isn't it? For example, how do the lecturer make sure they understand what was taught in the lecture?

Accessibility is a big thing in the US. If someone with a disability wants to go to college, they can. With someone that's deaf, they have an interpreter who goes with them to their classes to sign what the professor is saying. I've witnessed this in a few of my classes. When I teach my class, I accommodate my training to meet the needs of the students present. Recently, I had someone who was blind and I just made sure I read things out loud or read the things I normally would have them read on their own. 

 

I would like to see the pacing of the drama pick up a little. I want to see more of the band practicing together instead of just talking/fighting with each other all the time. I feel like they've only practiced once together, right? 

 

@mademoiselle I feel the same about the kiss too. I wished he would have known that it was Eun Yoo, but I guess it was his reckless moment.

[Mizv]

Got caught up with episodes recently.  
When Yoon Cheong Ah signed she loves Yi Chan in KSL, that was beautiful.  Sign language can be Universal so whether she completely knows sign she is able pick up here and there.

 

I think her bio mom is passed the later her dad.  Since when Eun Gyeol asked his mom where her family is she said none and would tell him someday about  why.   I think the stepmother pushed her out.

 

Looks like On Eun Yu maybe had tendinitis?  Or some kinda of PTSD of performance anxiety? Overall she wanted to attempt suicide that explains why she is there in the past. But it’s interesting how she and EG will help each other past and present 

 

giving EG thumbs up for still thinking respectfully of his “immature “ dad.  That cracked me up. 

[gilaswan]

On 10/26/2023 at 6:43 PM, mademoiselle said:

I'm only asking this because I really don't know: don't the Deaf need to go to special school/college? General Universities would not be able to cater to their special condition, isn't it? For example, how do the lecturer make sure they understand what was taught in the lecture? Not unless they can read lips, and I find Chung Ah and Yi Chan unlikely able to read lips, as they have started learning too late.

Support structures in Singapore aren't so good in the universities, sadly. We continue to struggle with providing good access beyond high school. Even at high school, provisions continue to be a challenge. Maybe this might end up being my life's work - to see things improve here. So while theoretically, they should get an interpreter, there aren't enough here for that. At best, they get note-takers and will need the help of coursemates to help you get through. But all that will only be possible if you first have a language foundation - which I am still wondering how Chung Ah developed, based on how the show presents it. Dramatic License. 

 

14 hours ago, Mizv said:

When Yoon Cheong Ah signed she loves Yi Chan in KSL, that was beautiful.  Sign language can be Universal so whether she completely knows sign she is able pick up here and there.

It's a common misconception that sign language is universal but that is not the case. Each country and native deaf community has its own native sign language. Within each Native Sign Language group, you can even have dialectic differences/variations across states and provinces, especially in big countries. The sign language used in the show is Korean Sign Language (KSL), which is distinctly different from, for example, American Sign Language (ASL) or Australian Sign Language (Auslan). So, no. It is not universal. 

[Tofu]

Episode 11 Pre-Release

 

I kind of want a Watermelon Sugar shirt too. Haha! 

[Mizv]

I think the father demanded for everything to be “normal” therefore in the drama CA just gets by without accommodations.

in reality, it can  depends on the availability of services, like @gilaswan explained.  In the US, it’s more dramatic with multiple factors of which way to communicate and if services are available.  
I can connect with YCA, because my own family thought the same when I lost my hearing.  Forced to go school with no accommodations No language access.  as schools changed, accommodations and language changed.  
 

11 hours ago, gilaswan said:

It's a common misconception that sign language is universal but that is not the case.

Actually I was trying to convey, the way YCA and YC expressed saying “love” was signed  in such an “universal” way that even I could understand it perfectly.

[gilaswan]

5 hours ago, Mizv said:

I can connect with YCA, because my own family thought the same when I lost my hearing.  Forced to go school with no accommodations No language access.  as schools changed, accommodations and language changed.  
 

Actually I was trying to convey, the way YCA and YC expressed saying “love” was signed  in such an “universal” way that even I could understand it perfectly.

Thanks for sharing about your own journey. Did you eventually pick up ASL (I assume you're in the US?)? 

 

@TofuI'm looking forward to seeing more interactions with the bandmates! Am still wondering if Dad will still lose his hearing, just a matter of how. 

[mademoiselle]

New stills

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Tofu]

11 hours ago, gilaswan said:

Am still wondering if Dad will still lose his hearing, just a matter of how. 

In episode 11, EG "blocked" the accident from happening, but I'm wondering if YC will still slowly lose his hearing over time. It also showed EG getting hit by a car, so will there be a switch as in EG will be the one to lose his hearing and YC will keep his? It's hard to tell because the preview for episode 12 suggest that no one loses their hearing. If that stays true, maybe EG did succeed in helping his Appa not lose his hearing?