Although Twinkling Watermelon is only on episode 10, we’re already thinking about the big hole it’s going to leave in our hearts when it is over. The thoughtful series is, on the surface, a seemingly happy slice-of-life show about a son who travels back in time to save his father from an accident, but at its core, it tells viewers to live life to the fullest. Viva La Vida—yes, Coldplay did it first, but we’ll give the writers of Twinkling Watermelon credit where it is due. The show’s emotional message becomes more profound as the series progresses, and we’re very curious to see how things will shape up in the end. At the same time, there’s a fear that things might get messed up later on, as is common in the K-drama world.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In Episode 9?
Yi-Chan makes his grand gesture for Eun-Gyeol to return to the band, only to be given a condition by Eun-Gyeol. Having no other choice, Eun-Gyeol pretends he’s in love with Se-Kyung, so if Yi-Chan doesn’t stop liking her, he won’t join the band again. A huge fight breaks loose in the school, and while the band tries to run away, Chung-Ah saves Yi-Chan from the school sports instructor, while Eun-Gyeol saves Se-Kyung from getting caught being in school as a non-student. This episode is all about feelings, and from start to finish, there’s a push and pull between Eun-Gyeol and Se-Kyung, which makes it seem like they both feel some kind of way about each other. Later Se-Kyung is caught by the school anyway and the principal (Chung-Ah’s stepmother) tells her to join back for the time being when she’s in Korea.
A comical part of episode 9 of Twinkling Watermelon is when Se-Kyung calls Eun-Gyeol a “Shiba-Ski” because he’s cute and handsome, like a combination of the two dog breeds, but in Korean, it sounds like a massive cuss word. In the meantime, Eun-Gyeol has made a deal with Chung-Ah’s dad, so he tries diligently to teach Chung-Ah sign language, but she’s mad at him for hurting Yi-Chan. In the meantime, the deal that the two 18-year-old boys make is that neither of them will see Se-Kyung until the festival, so that they each get a fair chance. But one hurdle is followed by another, and just as the band jumps over the Eun-Gyeol-sized one, their practice room is taken away from them. Ma-Joo finds a secret room for them to practice in, though only band members are allowed to go there. This gives Eun-Gyeol a genius idea. He takes Chung-Ah along to this new spot with the excuse of asking her to be the designer for the band. To his utter shock, though, Se-Kyung is already there, and so he needs to do something to get her away from Yi-Chan.
Deciding to test both the girls, Eun-Gyeol takes Se-Kyung to a far-off location to check her photography skills so his parents can talk. He’s just learned that he’s already changed the course of history. While originally, his parents were supposed to meet in sign language class at age 21, now, they already know each other at age 18. In the new practice room, Yi-Chan finds a drawing of himself in Chung-Ah’s book, which is filled with beautiful artwork. On the other hand, Se-Kyung and Eun-Gyeol get stranded in the middle of nowhere because the scooter runs out of gas. With romance in the air, Se-Kyung asks Eun-Gyeol to sing for her to test how much he truly likes her. Most of “Se-Kyung’s” strategy is based on the memory of what her mother has said about her first love throughout her life. In the spirit of the moment and with the fear of Se-Kyung interfering in his parents’ lives, Eun-Gyeol sings and ends up leaning in for a kiss. This is where the episode ends.
What Happens In Episode 10?
In the moment of embarrassment (you know, since Se-Kyung is just some old lady who helped him as a child), Eun-Gyeol quickly moves away before making a blunder, but when Se-Kyung is talking, he’s reminded of how his brother told him to stop feeling burdened by him and live his life too. Eun-Ho told Eun-Gyeol that it was the small moments that together made one happy, and just by choosing to live for himself, the world wouldn’t stop turning. Feeling the weight of his words, Eun-Gyeol decides to go for the kiss anyway, shocking Se-Kyung. On the other hand, Yi-Chan asks Chung-Ah if she likes him, and she admits it immediately. Se-Kyung tells Eun-Gyeol that they should maintain their distance for the time being because this is cheating, and Yi-Chan doesn’t get a fair chance.
At home, Chung-Ah asks Eun-Gyeol to translate the sign language Yi-Chan had done for her. It was his thank-you message for saving him. She tells Eun-Gyeol that she wants to learn sign language properly, seeing how many people are trying to communicate with her. The chairman’s conversation with Eun-Gyeol went somewhat okay, and although he was mostly amused, the chairman was stuck on one thing Eun-Gyeol told him—that he would make his daughter smile genuinely. This is the reason he accepted the deal. On the other hand, in school, the principal, aka evil stepmother, tells Eun-Gyeol to go back to wherever he came from and stop ruining things for her. She threatens him quite intensely for an 18-year-old, too. Eun-Gyeol gets a call from Master again, and he tells him that he’s already sent someone to help him. But, in order to help Eun-Gyeol, the helper will need his guidance first. Another riddle to make Eun-Gyeol’s life difficult.
It turns out that Eun-Yoo has severe anxiety about the cello because of her mother, Se-Kyung. Eun-Yoo stopped hearing the sound of the cello due to her panic attacks. Se-Kyung pressured her even when Eun-Yoo’s friend committed suicide, seemingly for similar reasons. Instead of comforting her, Se-Kyung told Eun-Yoo that she should prove herself as the best now that the No. 1 spot is empty. Of course, Eun-Gyeol’s task must be to help Eun-Yoo get over her fear and return to the instrument she loves without the pressure and hatred attached to it. On the other hand, Chung-Ah has made a little and very adorable comic about her friendship with Yi-Chan. She tells him she knows he likes Se-Kyung and his heart is his own, so she just hopes they can be friends.
The room was provided to the band by Mr. Choi, the same grandfather who will help Eun-Gyeol in the future, but he just doesn’t know it yet. Mr. Choi wants to introduce the band to the genius guitarist Yoon Dong-Jin, but Yi-Chan, Eun-Gyeol, and Ma-Joo run away because they were called scammers after what they did to Dong-Jin. Because of this whole big blunder, the band needs to change their name. In the meantime, Eun-Gyeol comes to Se-Kyung, or rather, Eun-Yoo, right when she needs him. She’s looking at a noose in the house when he delivers the message of her being accepted as their photographer. Se-Kyung asks him to join her for some work if he has the time. She takes him to get some money exchanged and then makes judgments on how he’s a failed bodyguard because he can’t even cuss and is like a little baby. Se-Kyung says she has something to do alone, but Eun-Gyeol follows her anyway (not like a stalker, but out of concern). Eun-Gyeol comforts Se-Kyung, telling her not to think about ending her life. He reminds her of how surviving itself is something to be proud of, and she shouldn’t take this drastic step. He then tells her about the future he has seen, making her laugh (weird that she doesn’t think he can be a time traveler like herself).
What Is The Band’s New Name?
Chung-Ah tells Yi-Chan that Frida Kahlo’s last painting of watermelons can be the image used for the band’s t-shirts. This gives him the idea for a name for the band. She tells him the meaning of the painting, and he loves the idea, especially the phrase “Viva La Vida,” or “Long Live Life.” This phrase has a deeper meaning for Eun-Gyeol because it is one his father used a lot. No matter how hard life has been for both his parents, they’ve always kept pushing the barriers away and living to the best of their abilities. Yi-Chan tells the team they should name the band “Subak” (watermelon in Korean), and the band is totally unconvinced at first. Then, he proceeds to tell them the meaning behind it, which makes them like the idea. Finally, they decided to name it “Watermelon” in English with a lot of sugar, meaning their band will be called “Watermelon Sugar.”
In the future, Yoon Dong-Jin (the grown-up one) reminds us in episode 10 of Twinkling Watermelon that he was the only one who continued music after that time spent with the band because there was a huge accident that caused one of the members to be terribly injured. We still don’t know who caused the accident or why it was the reason for the band to separate (apart from Yi-Chan going deaf).
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot of thought in every small detail of Twinkling Watermelon. We have hints of Eun-Ho knowing Eun-Yoo in the future, which is why she probably knows sign language. Eun-Ho called Eun-Yoo special for him, but Eun-Gyeol never found her name. Does this mean this will cause another big problem between him and his brother when they get back? We sure hope not. Both the blossoming romances are absolutely heartwarming, and watching this show feels like therapy.
