Twinkling Watermelon will make you laugh out loud and cry within a span of minutes. At the risk of speaking too soon, we highly recommend this show. If you have a gaping hole for feel-good, slice-of-life family dramas, then put everything down and watch this show. It’s a shame we don’t get to see all the episodes at once, and even with an adorable premise (and cast), the show, in the usual K-drama style, has a lot of secrets that will probably be revealed very slowly, and we’ll have to painstakingly wait another six weeks for the show to be completed. Hyun-Wook, who is really getting acknowledged for his fantastic work, is already becoming a big star, playing roles in shows like “D.P.” and now with a lead role such as this one. He shines in comedy, and together with Ryeoun, they make a terrific duo. At the same time, Ryeoun is impeccable at playing confused yet determined Eun-Gyeol. We can’t wait for the next episode, but before that, let’s recap Twinkling Watermelon episodes 3 and 4.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In Episode 3?
Although a great father to Eun-Gyeol, Yi-Chan was a completely different person at age 18. Apart from being able to hear and talk, his boisterous personality is a total 180 from what he was over twenty-eight years ago. After confessing to Se-Kyung and making a scene about starting a Band, Yi-Chan begins his search for his other members. Se-Kyung gives him certain conditions to fulfill before she accepts his “challenge,” so to speak, and one of them is that they must perform “Come As You Are” by Nirvana. Yi-Chan’s best friend is Oh Ma-Joo, the same guy who will get Yoon Dong-Jin to the top position as an artist in the future. At the moment, though, Ma-Joo and Yi-Chan don’t have any idea what they’ve gotten themselves into. Yi-Chan fails to impress the existing band of the school, which is already on the brink of failure. They’re not willing to risk more humiliation, and Yi-Chan can’t really play the guitar; he just wants to be the frontman. They ask him to get Yoon Dong-Jin on board, and Yi-Chan accepts the challenge, as he does with anything in life.
That’s when Eun-Gyeol shows up and convinces Yi-Chan he’s Yoon Dong-Jin. But first, he calls Yi-Chan “dad” and shocks both Yi-Chan and Ma-Joo. Eun-Gyeol himself is faced with the shocking discovery of his father’s voice and the fact that he can hear. Eun-Gyeol doesn’t know much about his father, as it seems clear now, and he’s probably in 1995 for a reason. After a big chase, Yi-Chan finally yields when Eun-Gyeol answers all his questions about Dong-Jin. In the future, there will be magazines filled with information about him; fortunately for Eun-Gyeol, he knows all the details. But, when they show up in school, the band calls Yi-Chan a con artist and tells him that Eun-Gyeol is not, in fact, Yoon Dong-Jin.
On the other hand, Se-Kyung is making an effort to befriend Chung-A. For now, it looks like a genuine connection, and maybe it is the fact that Chung-A can’t hear Se-Kyung play the cello that is making her consider this friendship. Chung-A isn’t treated very well by the other students, though, and she’s also the chairperson’s daughter. Alone and miserable, Eun-Gyeol tries to find the Viva Music Store, but there’s a bookstore there instead. He has no money, food, shelter, or company. Now that his dad isn’t keen on believing him, Eun-Gyeol could end up looking for his mother, but the big problem there is that he doesn’t know anything about her past either. Eun-Gyeol quickly realizes that he’s been so caught up in his own life that he never paid enough attention or had enough wonder for his parents’ stories.
Sleeping in a tunnel somewhere, Eun-Gyeol realizes there’s nothing left for him to do. Sad and cold, he tries to cover himself with some newspapers a fellow homeless person gives him and tries to fall asleep. He’s woken by the sound of a phone ringing, and when he finds this said payphone, it’s the “Master” from Viva Music who has called him. Master tells Eun-Gyeol to enjoy his “vacation” rather than asking too many questions, especially about why he’s been sent there. It’s something he’ll probably figure out in time. The next day, Eun-Gyeol finds Yi-Chan’s school and tries to persuade him again. Yet another chase follows.
Se-Kyung gives Chung-A a ticket to a band performance by an older man she knows. Chung-A always has earphones on because she can hear the beats through them. She tells Se-Kyung that she likes rock bands. Hence, the gift. But Chung-A gets bullied by the girls in her class and locked into the sports room. Yi-Chan makes it into Chung-A and Se-Kyung’s school through some hook and crook. He finds the same room, removing the mop that’s placed against the door from the outside and locking himself in. Chung-A is in there with him, and when the sports teacher comes searching for Yi-Chan, knowing he’s from a different school, he hides desperately. Yi-Chan gets shocked to see Chung-A there and lets out a shrill scream. The teacher realizes where Yi-Chan is because of it. On the other hand, Eun-Gyeol finds Se-Kyung, addressing her as an older woman when she’s supposed to be the same age as him.
What Happens In Episode 4?
Se-Kyung had a wonderful life when she was a kid for some time until she found out that her adoptive parents thought she was a burden. She decides then to do anything she can to make them believe in her so she can live the same lifestyle. Going just from a pretty girl who was interested in entertainment, she chose to play the cello for her mother’s satisfaction. It worked, and Se-Kyung became a genius in the field. In 2023, Se-Kyung told Eun-Gyeol that her first love was in a band, and it seems now things are making more sense to him. With no qualms, he tells Se-Kyung things about the future. Realizing his mistake, he pretends she looks like a woman who saved him because she was the reason he could join a band. Finally, he asks her if her father is doing okay and Eun-Kyung is absolutely appalled that he even mentioned his name. She tells him to go away from her and never bring up the man he’s calling her father. It turns out that Se Kyung’s biological father has been trying to look out for her since her childhood. She thinks he’s unhappy that she has more than he could’ve imagined—a jealous father—but we know that in the future, she will have a decent relationship with him.
The sports teacher finds the keys to the sports room, and the bullies come running to make up stories, but Yi-Chan escapes with a bleeding Chung-A, saving both of them. He’s still talking to her because he doesn’t know about her condition; he just thinks she’s shy and doesn’t want to talk. He tells her that he’ll help her with bullies whenever she needs it and gives her his number (on the band inquiry sheet). Seeing that Yi-Chan and Eun-Gyeol are acquainted with each other, Se-Kyung tells them both to stay away from her. Yi-Chan promises not to show up in front of her until the day of the band performance. Eun-Gyeol chases Yi-Chan to his house again, where he finds out that his great-grandmother is furious because the man is terrible at school. Seeing the situation, he improvises and agrees to be Yi-Chan’s tutor. But Yi-Chan’s grandmother tests Eun-Gyeol first. Seeing him pass with flying colors, she celebrates the savior of her son, and Eun-Gyeol promises to make Yi-Chan a human.
Eun-Gyeol is reminded of the stories of his great-grandmother, who used to test if he could hear every few hours. She saw him grow enough to be able to communicate, and when he was about 4 or 5, she passed away in peace, knowing that Eun-Gyeol could hear and speak. Now, Eun-Gyeol wonders how she must’ve felt when her only grandson, who was perfectly fine before, became deaf and mute out of the blue(yeah, bring out the tissues for this show).
The next day, Yi-Chan tells Eun-Gyeol to bring his sports clothes that he left behind at home to school. When Eun-Gyeol reaches school, he sees the board for the room that the band is supposed to practice in. He sees a guitar that reminds him of the one he played as a child and regrets selling his guitar to the Master. He’s incredible, and one of the band members overhears him play, but Yi-Chan and Ma-Joo aren’t there. Before they go make a mess, Eun-Gyeol finds Yi-Chan and sends him back to class to keep his promise to his great-grandmother.
Will Eunn-Gyeol Join The Band?
Yi-Chan goes from school to a part-time job, and Eun-Gyeol doesn’t approve. He needs to study to be able to go to college, but Yi-Chan has no intention of going to college. On the other hand, Chung-A, who has developed feelings for Yi-Chan, realizes that he’s better off with Se-Kyung. She decides to give him the ticket for the rock concert with a note signed by Se-Kyung. Although it’s a sweet gesture and Yi-Chan rushes to the concert, nobody could’ve predicted Se-Kyung’s reaction. She humiliates Yi-Chan, reminding him that he promised not to show up in front of her until the performance, but he tries to reason with her, saying she was the one who invited him. She’s completely unwilling to listen to him, and everyone sees her say some really harsh things to Yi-Chan. She tells him that he isn’t even serious about a band; he just wants to get the attention of girls, finally coming up with “Do you even have a band?” That’s when Eun-Gyeol shows up, saving Yi-Chan from more embarrassment.
The band that’s playing the show there asks if they want to jam with them, and Eun-Gyeol agrees. Hilariously, Yi-Chan says he only knows strawberry jam, but Eun-Gyeol tells him to follow his lead and just have fun, as he would usually do. Their performance is actually pretty great, and Eun-Gyeol is emotional yet again, realizing he’s playing music with his father, who is singing and can actually hear Eun-Gyeol’s skills. When they leave, Eun-Gyeol asks Yi-Chan why he would still want to make the band after being put down like that. Yi-Chan says that this is how he’s celebrating the last of his youth because soon he’ll be taking up a job. He wants to live to the maximum as an 18-year-old, which is why he wants to be in a band. While they’re talking, a little kid who is holding a balloon accidentally lets it go. It flows to the middle of the street, and without looking, Yi-Chan tries to save it for the kid. Eun-Gyeol notices a car approaching and saves him from a grave accident.
Eun-Gyeol finally sees the reason he’s back in the past. His father is supposed to get in a huge accident in grade 11, which hasn’t happened just yet. He figures he’s there to make sure his father doesn’t get into that accident. Already, this was a dangerous situation; we don’t think we can handle much worse with these two!
