Estrella

This is one of my favorite k-dramas out there

Twinkling Watermelon is one of my favorite K-dramas. I recently rewatched it for the first time, and it was just as amazing as I remembered.

When I first heard about this drama, I didn’t plan to watch it while it was still ongoing because I usually avoid ongoing shows. However, the spoilers people were posting intrigued me so much that I gave in. I kept telling myself to wait until it finished airing, but every day, it felt like the wait would never end. By episode 10, I finally decided to start watching. The main reason I was drawn to it was its focus on the experiences of deaf individuals, which resonated with me because my uncle is also deaf. It’s rare to find a drama that explores such characters so well.

Episode 1 is crucial for any K-drama since it needs to hook the audience right away, and Twinkling Watermelon did exactly that. The background story of Eun-gyeol’s family was heartbreaking, and his personal struggles were deeply moving. He had to hide his love for music from his family because he was the only one who could hear and speak, and he felt the weight of their expectations. If he failed, people would blame his parents. He couldn’t afford to be a failure, and that pressure built up so much stress. Music became his escape.

One reason I fell in love with this drama is that I love bands. But I was so frustrated—why wasn’t there a Watermelon Sugar version of the songs?! Did the actors not sing? Or was the band not skilled enough with their instruments to release a proper version? I was really disappointed about that.

As for the characters, my favorite is definitely Yi-chan. Choi Hyun-wook did an amazing job portraying him—he’s so funny and relatable. As someone who is the same age as the characters in the drama, I really connected with Yi-chan’s desire to form a band and make his youth shine. (I just wish I were extroverted like him so I could "twinkle" too.) It’s also incredibly sad because when he tells Eun-gyeol about his dream, we as viewers already know his future—one where he loses his ability to speak and can’t continue making music. That made me so emotional.

Chung-ah’s voice was beautiful. It was so soft and soothing, and I loved listening to her. One of my favorite moments was when she told Yi-chan, "You own your feelings, and I own mine." That line really stuck with me.

One of the saddest scenes in the drama was Yi-chan’s dream of getting into college and graduating. It was heartbreaking to watch.

Overall, this was a fantastic drama. I absolutely loved it. I’d rate it a solid 9.5/10. However, there were quite a few plot holes and unresolved questions that left me frustrated.

Questions That Needed Answers

I feel like the ending was rushed. Eun-gyeol returned to the present in episode 16, but that was already halfway through the episode, leaving very little time to wrap things up properly. They should have added more minutes to explain everything more thoroughly.

Here are the questions I wish had been answered:

1. What happened to Eun-yu? What happened to her family? Did her parents still get divorced, or did they reconcile? The ending didn’t mention her at all, even though she played a huge role in helping Eun-gyeol.

2. Did Watermelon Sugar and Chung-ah recognize Eun-gyeol? This is a major plot hole for me. It seems impossible that they would forget him when he was such an important part of their lives. He was the band’s guitarist, the reason Yi-chan had his accident, the person who helped Chung-ah escape her abusive stepmother, and the one who taught her sign language. How could they not remember him?

3. Why did Viva become the master? And how did Eun-yu know that the master was her grandfather? Just how?

Despite these lingering questions, I truly loved the overall story. It beautifully captured the essence of youth, and as someone who is still young, I found it incredibly relatable.

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