Korean Drama “Twinkling Watermelon” Review, Character and Cast Introduction

Introduction to “Twinkling Watermelon”

The Korean drama “Twinkling Watermelon” (반짝이는 워터멜론) is a collaborative creation by Director Son Jung-Hyun, known for “The Mentalist Zhuge Ji,” and Writer Jin Soo-Wan, who penned “Moon Embracing the Sun.” The story revolves around a CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) teenager with a musical gift who travels to a mysterious realm through a suspicious musical instrument store. There, he forms a band called “Watermelon Sugar” with the peculiar young people he meets. “Twinkling Watermelon” consists of 16 episodes and takes over the time slot previously occupied by “Useless Lies,” airing every Monday and Tuesday night on tvN starting September 25.

Cast of “Twinkling Watermelon”

The cast includes Ryeo Un, Choi Hyun-Wook, Seol In-A, Shin Eun-Soo, Ahn Do-Kyu, Yoon Jae-Chan, Lee Ha-Min, Lee Su-Chan, Choi Won-Young, Seo Young-Hee, Bong Jae-Hyun, Ko Du-Shim, Lee Suk-Hyeong, Jung Bal-San, Kim Tae-Woo, Kim Joo-Ryung, Kwon Do-Hyung, Lee Soo-Min, Jung Sang-Hoon, Lee So-Yeon, Park Ho-San, Woo Je-Yeon, and many more.

“Twinkling Watermelon” Trailer

“Twinkling Watermelon” EP1 Plot Review

This drama is advertised as a time travel series, but there was no time travel in the first episode. I couldn’t even tell that Choi Hyun-Wook and Seol In-A were characters from the 1990s; they seemed to be from the same time period as the present. It’s possible that the director wants to add a surprise element for when the time travel actually happens, or maybe he thinks that the audience can deduce the time period from signs or other clues. But it’s not very clear. According to the trailer, it looks like the time travel will happen in the next episode.

The first episode delved into the backstory of Eun Gyeol’s family, focusing on how Eun Gyeol learned to play the guitar. There was also a subplot about the landlord’s son who bullied Eun Gyeol and accidentally set fire to his house. The acting of the child actors was quite good. The bullying wasn’t over the top and was quickly glossed over. If this series is indeed about time travel, then several questions arise after watching it. The first question is, who could the grandfather in the past be and what happened to him that made him wear shackles?

There’s also a little girl who briefly crosses paths with Eun Gyeol after the grandfather’s death. Is she from a family that moved to the area after it was rebuilt? I had a bit of face blindness and couldn’t recognize her. The main plot seems to be set in the past, so it’s not clear how this girl will connect with Eun Gyeol. Will she also go back in time? There’s not much information at this point, so that’s all I can write for now. All in all, the drama seems decent and seems to be on the lighter side.

“Twinkling Watermelon” EP2 Plot Review

The second episode finally shows the time travel back to 1995. Eun Gyeol travels into the body of Yoon Dong-Jin and meets his father, Ha Yi-Chan, as well as the future president of MJ Entertainment, Oh Ma-Joo. However, there is a discrepancy with the name of Oh Ma-Joo’s friend, which is sometimes translated as Yoon Dong-Jin and sometimes as Yoon Dong-Progress. It’s unclear if they are twins or if it’s just a translation error. Anyway, Eun Gyeol time travels into Yoon Dong-Jin’s body, and back then his father could still speak and hear.

An interview with Yoon Dong-Progress mentions that one member caused a lot of trouble in the past, which is probably the young Ha Yi-Chan. Choi Shi-Kyung seems to be the grandfather’s daughter, who went abroad during her sophomore year and never returned. It’s possible that Ha Yi-Chan did something that caused her to leave the country and that he eventually lost his hearing and voice. Eun Gyeol’s mother seems to be Yoon Ching-Ya, as she is the only deaf-mute character in the 1995 timeline.

In the modern timeline, Eun Gyeol is invited by an underground band to perform in a nightclub after a street performance, and they become popular enough to be invited by MJ Entertainment. However, his mother notices his academic decline. Instead of telling him to concentrate on his studies, she persuades him emotionally. Eun Gyeol initially wants to give up, but unexpectedly receives a guitar from his grandfather’s daughter. After Eun Gyeol decides to perform, his father finds out about his involvement in the band due to a car accident involving their former landlord and rushes to the nightclub.

After a heated argument, Eun Gyeol runs away and thinks about smashing the guitar. He discovers a musical instrument store where the owner buys the guitar from him and gives him some money and a ticket to find the store again. After leaving, Eun Gyeol finds himself back in 1995 and the first person he meets is his own father, Ha Yi-Chan. I don’t have high expectations for this drama, it’s just something to pass the time on Mondays and Tuesdays. I’ll keep watching to see if it turns out to be a hidden gem.

“Twinkling Watermelon” EP3 Plot Review

Eun Gyeol didn’t actually time travel into someone else’s body; it was just a misunderstanding. It is surprising to see his father, Ha Yi-Chan, who can speak and looks much more alive than he does now. Even more surprising is that he wants to join a band, not because he loves music, but to win a bet with Choi Shi-Kyung. The plot seems predictable from here on, but I’m curious to see how Eun Gyeol’s time travel will change his parents’ lives.

After meeting his father, Eun Gyeol loses control and pretends to be Yoon Dong-Jin. He ends up being recognized and beaten up at school, and Ha Yi-Chan leaves him, leaving him homeless for the night. Unfortunately, Eun Gyeol doesn’t realize that playing the guitar could solve his problems. Ha Yi-Chan accidentally leaves the real Yoon Dong-Jin behind and gets called out online, ruining his chances of finding new band members and embarrassing him in front of Choi Shi-Kyung.

The director didn’t make it clear why Eun Gyeol’s mother, Yoon Ching-Ya, falls in love with Ha Yi-Chan. Does he want to keep it a secret? However, it seems that the person Ha Yi-Chan rescued in the comic book store is Yoon Ching-Ya. She mistakenly thinks that Choi Shi-Kyung’s bet with Ha Yi-Chan is due to a romantic interest, but luckily Choi Shi-Kyung has no interest in him. Yoon Ching-Ya seems to have artistic talent, but she seems to be unhappy with her current family situation and hasn’t told Eun Gyeol about her past. She is bullied and locked in a storage room after her artwork is plagiarized.

Ha Yi-Chan happens to be near her school, and despite Eun Gyeol’s persistence, he sneaks into the school wearing someone else’s uniform jacket. He gets caught by the gym teacher and hides in the storage room where Yoon Ching-Ya is locked up. Eun Gyeol, who is waiting outside, recognizes Choi Shi-Kyung and immediately calls her “aunt”, which annoys her since she’s used to being adored. Eun Gyeol realizes that he doesn’t know much about his parents’ past, which is understandable since he is only a high school student. It’s common for parents to share their stories as their children grow up.

“Twinkling Watermelon” EP4 Plot Review

The pacing is getting better, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to have a large audience. The streaming platform should really promote it more. Currently, it seems that Ha Yi-Chan lost his voice due to a serious accident in his sophomore year. Eun Gyeol realizes this and hopes to change his father’s fate. If he can prevent the accident, will today’s Ha Yi-Chan regain his voice? However, it’s unclear how the show’s setting works. Can the future be changed? What will be the impact of the butterfly effect?

Yoon Ching-Ya definitely falls in love with Yi-Chan because he stylishly blocked a book for her. However, she gives the band ticket Choi Shi-Kyung gave her to Ha Yi-Chan and even invites him under Shi-Kyung’s name. At first, Yoon Ching-Ya just wanted Yi-Chan to see Shi-Kyung one last time before she leaves, but it backfires. Fortunately, Eun Gyeol saves the day by playing a great guitar piece to accompany Yi-Chan’s singing. However, Shi-Kyung is not impressed and leaves, still upset about her band-playing father.

Choi Shi-Kyung’s family background becomes clearer. Her current parents adopted her as a substitute after their biological child had an accident. Her mother didn’t like her at first, but begins to accept her when Shi-Kyung expresses interest in learning the cello. Shi-Kyung plans to study abroad, but with only one week left, how will she find time to meet Eun Gyeol or Yi-Chan? So something unexpected will probably happen to make her stay or return.

“Twinkling Watermelon” has sixteen episodes, and we’re only at episode four, so there’s still a lot of story and challenges to come. Will Eun Gyeol meet Shi-Kyung’s biological father? Why does he end up wearing an electronic ankle monitor? All these questions will be answered in due time. If you haven’t started watching this drama yet, it’s worth checking it out, as it’s quite interesting and entertaining so far.

“Twinkling Watermelon” EP15 Review

So are the futures of Eun-You’s mother Shi-Kyung and Eun-Gyeol’s father Ha Yi-Chan unchangeable? Did the two time travellers come all this way just to change Ching-Ya’s family situation and start their own romance?! I’m not sure what the scriptwriter is trying to get across. If the past can be changed, why are there so many drunk drivers hitting the same person in the same place? Wouldn’t it be better to let Ha Yi-Chan hear and speak and have a happy ending for everyone, or is it necessary for him to learn sign language to communicate with Ching-Ya?

The solution for dealing with the chairman was much simpler. Eun-Gyeol sent a fax to the chairman in advance, so that the secretary could always follow him and gather evidence. Eun-Gyeol was captured by the chairman to sign a letter of repentance and was about to be smuggled out to sea, but luckily the secretary followed and called the police, who rescued Eun-Gyeol safely. The chairman should have been arrested for the kidnapping alone. When the chairman returned home, he immediately rushed to the warehouse where Ching-Ya was being held and discovered his daughter and other evidence. With Eun-Gyeol’s safe return, the Chairman was driven out of the house by the Chairman. Will she just leave it at that?

If the writers were willing to leave Ha Yi-Chan unharmed, it would be a happy ending for everyone and we could see Eun-Gyeol’s and Eun-You’s lives after returning to modern times. But now it seems that there will only be a brief mention of the changes after they travel back? To be honest, it’s a bit disappointing. After spending so much time with Eun-Gyeol’s family, shouldn’t they be given a proper ending? However, it’s also possible that when Eun-Gyeol is forced to travel back, he’ll discover that Ha Yi-Chan’s hearing hasn’t been affected this time.

As for Ha Yi-Chan and Ching-Ya, their financial situation in the new timeline will at least not be as bad as before. The lives of Eun-Gyeol and his childhood brother will also change. It’s not that wealth necessarily brings more happiness, but at least the quality of life will be much better. Maybe Ha Yi-Chan won’t stop Eun-Gyeol from playing in a band then, will he?

“Twinkling Watermelon” EP16 Review

So the main theme of this drama is about reclaiming one’s rightful property. After Eun-Gyeol successfully drives the chairman out of the house, Ching-Ya is taken away by her father to study abroad and grows up overseas. Upon her return to Seoul, she reunites with Ha Yi-Chan and the two of them embark on an extraordinary journey. Unfortunately, the drama doesn’t show how Ha Yi-Chan and Ching-Ya meet again later on, so the viewer is left to make up his or her own mind.

As expected, the scenes set in the modern era are too short, just like the previous parts. Eun-Gyeol’s part is touched upon a little, but Eun-You’s family is completely overlooked. Has Shi-Kyung finally gone in search of her father? Is her grandfather still alive? It’s a shame that these details were left out. Maybe it was a consideration of the actors’ availability, as showing more of the adult parts might have had an impact on the budget? www But at least the ending seems to be the best possible outcome under the circumstances, as Ha Yi-Chan is still unable to hear.

All in all, it’s still quite a heartwarming TV series. Even if the title “Shining Watermelon” might confuse those who haven’t seen it yet, I think most people will enjoy it once they start watching it. It’s also a great opportunity to get to know a group of young Korean actors. Shin Eun-Soo should get a chance to play a leading role after this, and I hope that everyone’s career goes as smoothly as the drama.

The final scene, where the father finds the tape that Eun-Gyeol dropped, reminds him of Eun-Gyeol from the past. I wonder if he named his son Eun-Gyeol in memory of that friend from the past? That mysterious person who appeared briefly but changed the lives of Ha Yi-Chan, Ching-Ya and others. And the time-travelling boss turns out to be the grandfather, which is hilarious.