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Twinkling Watermelon

Twinkling Watermelon (Korean: 반짝이는 워터멜론) is a 2023 South Korean television series directed by Son Jong-hyun, and starring Ryeoun, Choi Hyun-wook, Seol In-ah, and Shin Eun-soo. It aired on tvN from September 25 to November 14, 2023, every Monday and Tuesday at 20:50 (KST) for 16 episodes.[9] It is also available for streaming on Viu and Viki in selected regions.[10][11]

Synopsis

Twinkling Watermelon tells the story of a CODA boy with a natural talent for music, who fights with his father to pursue his dream of becoming a guitarist in a band. After the fight, he travels back in time to 1995. He joins a band with his childhood father and forms a band called Watermelon Sugar with the suspicious youths he meets there, and communicates with them through music.[4]

Cast

Main

Eun-gyeol is the only hearing person (CODA) in a family of deaf people. He is a model student by day, and a guitarist in the band at night. After having an argument with his father, where his father learned of his musical interest, Eun-gyeol time slips to 1995 and meets his parents when they were younger. He strives to know more about his parents' youths and shine their lives.
Yi-chan is a hot-blooded man who seems to have jumped out of a cheerful cartoon. He lives with his grandmother who owned an accommodation house named Snail House. In the present, Yi-chan is Eun-gyeol and Eun-ho's father, who can neither longer speak nor hear. He is proud of Eun-gyeol's achievements as a model student at school who he hopes will become a doctor.
Choi Se-kyung is the cello goddess of Seowon Arts High School who was considered to be everyone's muse with her innocent beauty and elegant aura reminiscent of a scene in a movie. She was idolized by many boys either from her school or neighboring schools. Se-kyung is the daughter of the owner of Viva Music, a store that existed during Eun-gyeol's childhood. In the present, she has inherited the Viva Music store which has been redeveloped into a luxurious home. She She keeps her father's handmade guitar, which she gives to Eun-gyeol as her father had wished.
On Eun-yoo: Se-kyung's daughter who looks exactly like her during her youth. Her mother dolls her up and forces her to become a cellist to follow in her footsteps. She lives in a disharmonious family until she is 18 years old, when her parents divorce. Upset with her mother's controlling behavior and her drinking habit, and after finding out that her father has remarried, she time slips to 1995 so that she can find her mother's first love, and cease her existence.
As a child, Chung-ah was a cold and isolated girl who was born deaf. She dreams of a sparkling life like the great Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Chung-ah is aloof towards other people except to Choi Se-kyung, who is much friendlier toward her. In the present, she is the loving mother of Eun-gyeol and Eun-ho and owns a chicken restaurant.

Supporting

Band members

Ma-joo is the band manager and Yi-chan's childhood friend. He is knowledgeable and resourceful. In 2023, Ma-joo owns MJ Entertainment who manages a famous rockstar Yoon Dong-jin.
A genius bassist, Hyun-yul was a former member of gangster and bullies called Jindo Dog. After meeting Choi Hyun, the owner of Baekya Music Store, he changed his life and started focusing on music.
A drummer from the church band. He is very short tempered especially toward Yi-chan's antics.
Se-bum is a talented keyboardist who majored in classical piano and studied abroad early.

Eun-gyeol's family

Eun-ho is Eun-gyeol's older brother who is born deaf and dreams of becoming a national Paralympics taekwondo athlete. Due to his handsome appearance, Eun-ho is popular on social media, to which he has been addicted since childhood.

Snail Boarding House

  • Go Doo-shim as Go Yang-hee,[21] Yi-chan's grandmother and the owner of boarding house.
  • Lee Seok-hyung as Jung Bal-san,[22] a college student at a boarding house run by Yi-chan's grandmother.

People around Eun-gyeol

Choi Hyun is the owner of musical instrument store Baekya Music, later renamed as Viva Music. He was a famous rock star whose popularity decreased after his girlfriend became pregnant. His girlfriend is actually Choi Se-gyeong's real mother. He is supportive of aspiring musicians who seek his advice about music even later in life, when he tutors Eun-gyeol on the guitar.
  • Jung Sang-hoon as master of the mysterious musical instrument store La Vida Music. Through the store, Eun-gyeol and Eun-yoo time travel to 1995. He keeps in touch with both time travelers through their dreams by calling them on phones, even broken ones.[20]
  • Woo Je-yeon as On Ji-hwan,[23] a second-year student at Myeongsae University Medical School who serves as vocalist and guitarist for the band Golden Mess. He is Choi Se-gyeong's boyfriend and later her husband, and also Eun-yoo's father. However, their marriage falls apart because of their different approaches to parenting.

People of Jinsung Instruments

  • Kim Tae-woo as Yoon Geon-hyung,[24] Cheong-ah's father who is the chairman of Jinseong Musical Instruments. As a businessman, he frequently travels so he has no idea how abusive Cheong-ah's step mother is.
  • Kim Joo-ryoung as Lim Ji-mi,[25] Cheong-ah's live-in tutor and later stepmother who serves as chairwoman of Seowon Arts High School Foundation. She uses harsh methods to torture Cheong-ah, who will be the next chairwoman of Jinseong Group.
  • Kwon Do-hyung as Yoon Joo-yeop,[24] Lim Ji-mi's biological son and Cheong-ah's stepbrother.
  • Lee Soo-min as Yoon Sang-ah,[24] Lim Ji-mi's biological daughter and Cheong-ah's stepsister who is a student at Seowon Arts High School. She looks down on poor boys no matter how handsome they are.

Others

  • Koo Jun-hoe as Goo Jun-hyung,[26] the main vocalist of Spine 9 who senses hears Eun-gyeol's musical talent and attempts to recruit him into his band.
  • Yeon Oh as Jeong Ji-oh,[27] Spine 9 bassist.
  • Han Min as Bae Soo-tak,[26] Spine 9 drummer.
  • Kim Jun-hyung as Yoon Dong-jin[26]
    • Yoon Do-hyun as Yoon Dong-jin (2023),[28] Chuncheon National University legendary guitarist.
  • Kim Ye-ji as Mira Lee[29]
  • Kim Mi-hwa as the Landlady

Special appearances

Production

On September 5, 2023, production company Pan Entertainment announced that it has signed a production and supply contract with Studio Dragon for Twinkling Watermelon worth 15.6 billion won.[8]

Viewership

Twinkling Watermelon was ranked number one in viewership in twelve regions including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Sweden, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and more in the week the drama's finale episode was released. Furthermore, it also charted in the top five in 64 countries.[31]

Twinkling Watermelon : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)
SeasonEpisode numberAverage
12345678910111213141516
16446647381040808801803694860788744833823850771972802
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[32]
Average TV viewership ratings
Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
(Nielsen Korea)[32]
Nationwide Seoul
1 September 25, 2023 3.144% (2nd) 3.503% (2nd)
2 September 26, 2023 3.311% (1st) 3.387% (2nd)
3 October 2, 2023 3.441% (1st) 3.726% (1st)
4 October 3, 2023 4.688% (1st) 4.805% (1st)
5 October 9, 2023 3.689% (1st) 4.393% (1st)
6 October 10, 2023 3.580% (1st) 4.106% (1st)
7 October 16, 2023 3.551% (1st) 4.042% (1st)
8 October 17, 2023 3.089% (1st) 2.922% (2nd)
9 October 23, 2023 3.718% (1st) 4.380% (1st)
10 October 24, 2023 3.512% (1st) 3.738% (1st)
11 October 30, 2023 3.264% (1st) 3 569% (1st)
12 October 31, 2023 3.790% (1st) 4.236% (1st)
13 November 6, 2023 3.689% (1st) 4.179% (1st)
14 November 7, 2023 3.593% (1st) 4.050% (1st)
15 November 13, 2023 3.494% (1st) 3.802% (1st)
16 November 14, 2023 4.460% (1st) 4.458% (1st)
Average 3.626% 3.957%
  • In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
  • This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).

References

  1. ^ a b c "Twinkling Watermelon (2023)". CJ ENM. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Lee, Gyu-ri (September 5, 2023). "Blockbuster action shows to comedies set to hit small screen this month". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Shin, Young-eun (August 18, 2023). '반짝이는 워터멜론' 려운·최현욱·설인아·신은수, 대본리딩 현장 공개 [Ryeo-woon, Choi Hyun-wook, Seol In-ah, and Shin Eun-soo, revealed script reading scene for 'Twinkling Watermelon']. Star Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Naver.
  4. ^ a b c d Kwon, Soo-bin (April 5, 2023). 려운·최현욱·설인아·신은수 '반짝이는 워터멜론'서 레트로 감성 저격. News Culture (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  5. ^ @fara_effect (April 2, 2023). OST 녹음완료 (in Korean). Retrieved July 13, 2023 – via Instagram.
  6. ^ a b c "Twinkling Watermelon". Studio Dragon. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Jang, Jin-ri (December 14, 2022). 팬엔터테인먼트, 부진했던 편성이 내년에 몰린다 [The sluggish line-up of Pan Entertainment will be concentrated next year]. Infostock Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Shin, Hwang-sub. 팬엔터테인먼트, 드라마 '반짝이는 워터멜론' 제작계약 [Pan Entertainment Drama 'Twinkling Watermelon' production contract] (in Korean). Newsis. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023 – via Naver.
  9. ^ Hyun, Hye-sun (August 22, 2023). '반짝이는 워터멜론' 려운, 1995년으로 타임슬립... 아빠 최현욱과 첫 만남 ['Twinkling Watermelon' actor Ryeo-woon: Time slip to 1995... First meeting with father Choi Hyun-wook]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 22, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023 – via Naver.
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  11. ^ Choi, Na-young (July 25, 2023). '남남'·'브로 앤 마블'→'워터멜론'·'낮뜨달'... 라쿠텐 비키, 하반기 K-라인업 ['Namnam', 'Bro & Marvel' → 'Twinkling Watermelon', 'Daylight Moon'... Second half K-lineup of Rakuten Viki]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023 – via Naver.
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  13. ^ Jang, Jin-ri (February 21, 2023). 단독]설인아, '반짝이는 워터멜론' 여주인공... 진수완 손잡고 '안방 꽃길' [Exclusive: Seol In-ah casts as female lead in 'Twinkling Watermelon' by Jin Soo-wan]. SPOTV (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023 – via Nate.
  14. ^ Yoo, Jung-min (September 4, 2023). 이소연, '반짝이는 워터멜론' 출연 확정...만인의 첫사랑 어른 '세경役' [Lee So-yeon confirmed to appear in 'Twinkling Watermelon' as the adult Se-kyung... Everyone's first love]. Ten Asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023 – via Naver.
  15. ^ Jang, Jin-ri (February 21, 2023). 단독]신은수, '진수완 픽' 됐다...'반짝이는 워터멜론' 캐스팅 [Exclusive: Shin Eun-soo is Jin Soo-wan's choice for the cast of 'Twinkling Watermelon']. SpoTV News (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
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  17. ^ a b Choi, Hee-jae (November 16, 2023). 워터멜론' 신은수 "결말? 다들 우느라 바빠... 아기쀼 듣고 충격" [인터뷰]② ['Twinkling Watermelon' Shin Eun-soo: "Ending? Everyone is busy crying... I'm shocked to hear the baby bump" [Interview]]. E-Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023 – via Naver.
  18. ^ Ha, Kyung-heon (November 15, 2023). 류수영 '반짝이는 워터멜론' 마지막회 특별출연 존재감 [Ryu Soo-young makes a special appearance in the final episode of 'Twinkling Watermelon']. Spots Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023 – via Naver.
  19. ^ [단독] 최원영, 진수완 작가 '반짝이는 워터멜론' 합류 [Exclusive: Choi Won-young and Jin Soo-wan became joint writers in 'Twinkling Watermelon']. JTBC (in Korean). March 7, 2023. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c d e Hwang, Hye-jin (August 18, 2023). 최현욱→신은수 '반짝이는 워터멜론' 대본리딩 포착, 찬란한 청춘들 [A brilliant youth: Choi Hyun-wook and Shin Eun-soo captured the script reading of 'Twinkling Watermelon']. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Naver.
  21. ^ 인물 소개 – 달팽이 하숙집 [Character Introduction: Snail Boarding House]. TVN (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  22. ^ Cha, Hye-young (August 23, 2023). 이석형, '반짝이는 워터멜론' 출연 확정...하숙집 대학생 '정발산' 役 [Lee Seok-hyung confirmed to appear in 'Twinkling Watermelon' as boarding house college student 'Jeong Bal-san']. Ten Asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Naver.
  23. ^ a b 인물 소개 – 은결의 인연들 [Character introduction: Eun-gyeol's relationships]. TVN (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  24. ^ a b c Character Introduction: People of Jinseong Musical Instruments. TVN (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  25. ^ Lee, Chang-gyu (August 30, 2023). 김주령, '반짝이는 워터멜론' 합류...신은수 母 등극 [Kim Joo-ryeong joins 'Twinkling Watermelon' as Shin Eun-soo's mother]. Xports News (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023 – via Naver.
  26. ^ a b c 인물 소개 – 그 외 인물들 [Character introduction: Other characters]. TVN (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  27. ^ Ryu, Ye-ji. [공식] 연오, '반짝이는 워터멜론' 출연 확정 [Official: Yeon-oh confirmed to appear in 'Twinkling Watermelon']. Ten Asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023 – via Naver.
  28. ^ Hwang, Ye-jin (September 7, 2023). 윤도현, 3년간 암투병 끝 완치→배우 복귀 확정 (반짝이는 워터멜론) [After being fully recovered from a three-year battle with cancer, Yoon Do-hyun confirmed to return to act in Sparkling Watermelon]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023 – via Naver.
  29. ^ a b "Twinkling Watermelon | Cast (Korean Drama, 2023, 반짝이는 워터멜론)". HanCinema. January 25, 2024.
  30. ^ Shin, Young-eun. '최준' 김해준, '반짝이는 워터멜론' 깜짝 출연. Naver News (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  31. ^ Noh, Yi-seul (November 22, 2023). '반짝이는 워터멜론', 미국·영국부터 사우디까지 64개국 톱5... "코다 드라마, 새로운 경험" [A Korean drama with brilliant experience... 'Twinkling Watermelon' ranked Top 5 in 64 countries from the US and UK to Saudi Arabia]. Sports W (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  32. ^ a b Nielsen Korea ratings:
    • "Ep. 1" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. September 25, 2023. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
    • "Ep. 2" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. September 26, 2023. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
    • "Ep. 3" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 2, 2023. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    • "Ep. 4" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 3, 2023. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
    • "Ep. 5" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 9, 2023. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
    • "Ep. 6" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 10, 2023. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
    • "Ep. 7" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 16, 2023. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
    • "Ep. 8" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 17, 2023. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
    • "Ep. 9" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 23, 2023. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
    • "Ep. 10" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 24, 2023. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
    • "Ep. 11" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 30, 2023. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
    • "Ep. 12" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 31, 2023. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
    • "Ep. 13" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. November 6, 2023. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
    • "Ep. 14" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. November 7, 2023. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
    • "Ep. 15" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. November 13, 2023. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
    • "Ep. 16" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. November 14, 2023. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.