A sweet dose of music, youth and young love is up for Twinkling Watermelon!
Twinkling Watermelon, is a fantasy coming-of-age drama that follows the musically gifted high school student Eun-gyeol. After visiting a mysterious musical instrument store, he’s transported back in time, where he starts a band called Watermelon Sugar with other students he meets there.
Bunny S. watches Twinkling Watermelon on Viu
Opening Week Rating:Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 & 10 | 11 & 12 | 13 & 14 | Finale Week Recap + Series Review |
Twinkling Watermelon Opening Week Story
How does it sound like to time travel into the past and meet your teenage father during his high school days? Intriguing, right? That is exactly what happens to our male lead, who finds himself face-to-face with a completely different version of the father he knows.
But before we get into said journey, we have some backstory to cover. The story begins in childhood days with our male lead, young Eun-gyeol, being the only hearing person in the family. Both his parents and his elder brother, Eun-ho, are deaf.
Despite his young age, Eun-gyeol acts like an adult, standing up to those looking down on his parents and taking care of his brother almost 24/7.
In a life full of pressure, the only thing that comforts Eun-gyeol is music. And just like he excels at his school studies, he manages to learn the guitar in a noticeably short time.
Those happy moments are short-lived, though. A fire breaks out in Eun-gyeol’s house that almost gets the family killed. And they are forced to move out.
Six years later, we meet Eun-gyeol, who is now a high schooler trying to maintain a balancing act between being a model student during the day and pursuing music at night. His hard work throughout those years pays off, getting him an offer to join a rookie band that is a member short. Things go well, and the band gets a chance to audition to join a celebrity singer’s musical tour.
Except that day, things go awry, and his father learns of Eun-gyeol’s secret life. A heated argument ensues where Eun-gyeol lets out everything he kept hidden in his chest.
He wants to live as himself, not as his father’s interpreter or an angel taking care of the family. Soon after that, Eun-gyeol regrets lashing out at his father. He attempts to break the guitar, but then
a music store appears out of nowhere. A mysterious master offers to buy Eun-gyeol’s guitar. And once Eun-gyeol steps out of the store, a few things change from before.
The sun is up in the sky, and the music store is gone. Instead, there is a bookstore. In his first moments into the past, Eun-gyeol runs into a familiar-looking high schooler. Unsurprisingly to us and shockingly to Eun-gyeol, it was his dear father, Lee-chan, in his high school days.
Twinkling Watermelon Opening Week Musings
The show is making its way into being my favorite drama for the week. Mostly, we got set up with a few snippets into the past in its launch week.
But we cannot complain since we need insight into the father-son relationship at present, so it will hit us harder when we see the difference.
Eun-gyeol is a relatable character. He genuinely cares for his family and puts them first. Yet when the pressure gets suffocating and unbearable, he wants to throw everything and escape.
The argument was needed for both sides. Father needs to give Eun-gyeol some space, and the latter needs to speak his mind.
Meeting his teenage dad will help Eun-gyeol see the other side of the story. Also, the two will grow alongside each other and become better versions of themselves. I am curious about Lee-chan’s backstory and why he has become a different version of the one who set up a band to attract the attention of his first love.
Aside from our father-son duo, we have another two characters to meet, teenage mother and Lee- chan’s first love. With the time travel being done, it is now time to follow those characters and tag along with their journey to pursue their dreams and grow up.
Brace yourself for a ride full of adventures, music and mystery as Eun-gyeol navigates the unknown in Twinkling Watermelon!
Photos: tvN Drama
