A CODA (child of deaf adult) student born with a gift for music crash lands at an unfamiliar place after time traveling through a suspicious music shop. There, he forms the band Watermelon Sugar with other mysterious youths.
Seasons
1 listed
Status
Ended
Seasons
1 season
Episodes
16 episodes
First aired
Sep 25, 2023
Last aired
Nov 14, 2023
Episode length
64m
Network
tvN
Latest episode:S1 E16 Everything You Hoped for and More (Nov 14, 2023)
Season 1
16 episodes Sep 25, 2023 9.8
Eun-gyeol, a seemingly ordinary high school student, leads a clandestine double life. By day, he is a model student, but by night, he becomes a guitarist for a band in Hongdae. Unexpectedly, he travels back in time. Together, they form a band called 'Watermelon Sugar' and forge a deep bond. Along the way, Eun-gyeol encounters an enigmatic girl and falls in love. This tale intertwines elements of coming-of-age, fairytales, and magic, creating a captivating story of growth and self-discovery.
I keep thinking about the first strange mercy Twinkling Watermelon offers: it doesn’t treat time travel like an invitation to rewrite history so much as a chance to hear it differently. That matters. So many stories built on impossible premises are really about power — the thrill of fixing, conquering, correcting.
This one, at least most of the time, is about listening. A boy who can make music finds himself in a world where music has to do more than entertain; it has to translate, bridge, and sometimes say what a family cannot.
What drew me in wasn’t the mechanics of the premise, though those are playful enough. It was the series’ sense that adolescence is already a kind of time travel: you’re always half in the present and half in the version of yourself you’ll become, while your parents remain mysteriously young in memory and impossibly old in the flesh. Twinkling Watermelon uses the fantasy apparatus to make that feeling literal.
The show arrives as a 2023 Korean drama with a fantasy premise, but it’s also very much in conversation with the long, affectionate tradition of Korean coming-of-age television — stories about family duty, school hierarchies, first love, and the humiliations that come with wanting to be seen. It’s not just a nostalgia piece, though nostalgia is clearly part of the spell. It’s a series about the grammar of intergenerational misunderstanding.
That’s why the CODA angle is so important. The main character’s life with deaf parents gives the show a built-in tension between sound and silence, performance and miscommunication, belonging and translation. I was struck by how often the series lets music stand in for a line of dialogue that would feel too easy.
In lesser hands, that could become sentimental shorthand. Here, it usually feels earned. The show knows that music can be intimate without being neat.
A song can comfort, yes, but it can also expose the limits of what comfort can do.
Son Jeong-hyeon’s direction — and, really, the series’ overall tonal control — seems interested in keeping several registers alive at once. There’s the bright, occasionally comic surface of school drama; the fantasy intrigue of a boy displaced into another era; and the more fragile emotional current about what children inherit from parents they don’t fully understand. The trick is that these modes don’t always blend smoothly.
At times, the show leans a little hard on setup, on the dutiful explanation of how the time slip works or why a given encounter matters. I don’t mind a bit of narrative tidying, but there are moments when the series can feel as if it’s clearing its throat before it sings. Still, once it settles into the interpersonal rhythms of the ensemble, it finds a more confident beat.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reports
Behind the Scenes of Twinkling Watermelon: Cast Reactions, Rumored Rules, and Real-Life Chemistry
Twinkling Watermelon (2023), the fantasy-romance K-drama helmed by director Son Jeong-hyeon, has charmed audiences with its blend of music, time-travel, and youthful energy. But what’s been happening off-screen? From cast reactions to strict on-set rules, here’s what the evidence reveals about the making of this hit series.
Cast Reactions: Laughs, Nerves, and Early Impressions
YTYouTube·Twinkling Watermelon Cast React to Episode 1 & 2…
The young leads—Ryeoun, Choi Hyun-wook, Seol In-a, and Shin Eun-soo—have shared their behind-the-scenes experiences in multiple reaction videos. In clips covering Episodes 1 and 2, the cast appears visibly excited, with Ryeoun and Choi Hyun-wook playfully teasing each other over their characters’ dynamics [1]. Shin Eun-soo, who plays a key role in the time-travel plot, admitted to feeling nervous during early filming, while Seol In-a joked about struggling to keep a straight face during emotional scenes [1].
YTYouTube·Twinkling Watermelon Cast React to Episode 3 & 4…
By Episodes 3 and 4, the cast seemed more at ease, with Choi Hyun-wook praising the script’s balance of humor and drama [4]. Ryeoun, who plays the dual role of a deaf musician and his rebellious son, reportedly spent extra time rehearsing sign language to ensure authenticity [4]. The chemistry between the leads is palpable in these reactions, suggesting a collaborative and lighthearted set.
Rumored On-Set Rules: Fact or Fiction?
YTYouTube·Strict Rules The Cast of Twinkling Watermelon Ha…
Several YouTube videos claim the Twinkling Watermelon cast had to follow strict rules during filming. One source alleges restrictions on off-script improvisation, particularly for emotional or high-stakes scenes, to maintain consistency with the show’s tone [7]. Another rumor suggests a ban on excessive physical contact between cast members to avoid unintended romantic implications—though this hasn’t been confirmed by the actors or production team [7].
While these claims remain unverified, they align with common K-drama production practices, where directors often enforce guidelines to streamline filming. Son Jeong-hyeon, known for his meticulous approach to genre-blending series, may have prioritized precision given Twinkling Watermelon’s mix of fantasy, romance, and music .
Real-Life Relationships: Who’s Dating?
YTYouTube·"TWINKLING WATERMELON" ACTORS REAL LIFE PARTNERS…
Speculation about the cast’s off-screen relationships has been rampant, with multiple videos claiming to "reveal" real-life couples. One clip suggests Choi Hyun-wook and Seol In-a share a close bond, though neither has confirmed a romantic connection [5]. Another source floats the idea of Ryeoun and Shin Eun-soo’s friendship extending beyond the set, but again, no official statements support this [6].
The drama’s official channels and cast members have stayed tight-lipped about dating rumors, focusing instead on the show’s success. Given the industry’s tendency to fuel shipping culture, these claims should be taken with caution until verified by the actors themselves.
The Verdict: A Fun, Well-Oiled Production
While Twinkling Watermelon’s behind-the-scenes details are still emerging, the available evidence paints a picture of a harmonious and professional set. The cast’s genuine camaraderie shines through in their reaction videos, and director Son Jeong-hyeon’s reputation for crafting engaging narratives suggests a well-planned production [3]. Whether the rumored rules are true or not, the final product—a series rated 8.2/10 by viewers—speaks for itself .
For now, fans can enjoy the drama’s blend of nostalgia, music, and romance, while keeping an eye out for any future cast interviews that might spill more secrets.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as
unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
