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Netflix’s hotly anticipated K-drama Weak Hero Class 2 (released April 25, 2025) picked up where season 1 left off, following top student Yeon Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon) at the notorious Eunjang High School.
In episode 2, viewers were stunned when newcomer Park Hu-min – nicknamed “Baku” (played by Ryeoun) – made a dramatic entry. Baku appears with red-dyed hair and a basketball in hand, amid the opening strains of the Slam Dunk anime theme.
Many fans immediately recognized this as a deliberate easter egg referencing Twinkling Watermelon, another hit K-drama. In Twinkling Watermelon (2023), Choi Hyun-wook’s character Ha Yi-chan is the father of Ryeoun’s character Ha Eun-gyeol. Meanwhile, Choi Hyun-wook also played Ahn Su-ho in Weak Hero Class, and Ryeoun now joins the ensemble in season 2.
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In episode 2, Baku storms in, bouncing a ball to The Way to You, the iconic Slam Dunk opener, mimicking the anime's red-haired lead, Hanamichi Sakuragi. Meanwhile, in Twinkling Watermelon, Yi-chan created a handmade poster for his high school band, where he drew himself as a lookalike of Hanamichi Sakuragi.
Hence, Baku throws a line at Hyun-tak after the latter asked him who he was impersonating.
“My dad. Didn't you get it?” Baku replied.
This took on meta significance for fans of the two dramas. Furthermore, in the next scene, Baku was seen wearing a "Viva Studio" motif black t-shirt, another reference to Twinkling Watermelon, as the music studio's name in it was Viva Studio. Further, the kid who played the younger Eun-gyeol (Ryeoun) in Twinkling Watermelon also played the younger version of Baku in Weak Hero Class 2.
Fans were quick to connect the dots, as they took the scenes as Ryeoun's subtle nods to Twinkling Watermelon. The easter eggs subsequently set social media alight, as X users flooded the platform with memes, reactions, and quotes.
One fan wrote,
"As a twinkmelon and whc insaners A WIN I WAS JUMPING WITH THIS REFERENCE."
The mix of action, reference, and inside jokes has given viewers a lot to talk about.
"They’re so slick for that, we got it right awayyy," a fan said.
"You can take ryeoun out of eungyeol but you can't take eungyeol out of ryeoun," another wrote.
"NO WAY. I was gonna say, cuz of Twinkling Watermelon it felt like Sieun was raised by father and son. I loved that they referenced it," one fan added.
According to several fans online, Weak Hero Class 2’s debut had unexpected links to Twinkling Watermelon, delighting them further.
"TWINKLING HERO CLASS CINEMATIC UNIVERSE," a fan remarked.
"The twinkling watermelon reference im very much in my feelings. Thats his dad yo," another fan said.
"AAAHAGWGWMAAHSHS TWINKLING WATERMELON REFERENCE IN THE YEAR 2025," a viewer commented.
Fans spot several Twinkling Watermelon easter eggs in Netflix's Weak Hero Class 2
In Twinkling Watermelon, Ryeoun’s character Ha Eun-gyeol is a hearing teenager from a deaf family who time-slips to 1995 and bands together with his young parents. Choi Hyun-wook portrays Eun-gyeol’s father, Ha Yi-chan, as a teen.
After an argument with Yi-chan in present time, Eun-gyeol travels back to meet his parents in high school. The basketball-themed references in Weak Hero Class 2 align with Yi-chan’s youth in Twinkling Watermelon. Yi-chan and friends form a band (the “Watermelon Sugar” group), but are also high-schoolers with a passion for sports. Additionally, Yi-chan was a huge Slam Dunk fan himself.
Meanwhile, Weak Hero Class 2 continues Yeon Si-eun’s story at Eunjang High, where gang fights have flared up once again. In episode 2, Si-eun intervenes to help a bullied classmate (Seo Jun-tae), putting him at odds with senior bully Choi Hyo-man (Yoo Su-bin) and his gang.
As the fight escalates under a subway bridge, Baku arrives precisely on cue. The tension snaps when Baku bounces in, shouting “Everyone, freeze!” a catchphrase echoing Si-eun's season 1 ally, Su-ho (Choi Hyun-wook). Clad in a red padded jacket and Slam Dunk-style outfit, he grins confidently and remarks to his pal Gotak that he looks like Slam Dunk’s star player Kang Baek-ho.
For K-drama enthusiasts, these crossovers are part of the fun. Weak Hero Class 2 isn’t shy about being self-referential, and the casting itself is part of the joke. Viewers have pointed out that Baku’s “dramatic” entry reminded fans of Ahn Su-ho (Choi Hyun-wook’s Weak Hero character) even as it simultaneously winked at Twinkling Watermelon.
Baku’s arrival made Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon) see Su-ho all over again. Perhaps this could be the reason why Si-eun hallucinated Baku as Su-ho at the end of episode 4, after he fought with Seong-je (Lee Jun-young) on the terrace.
All episodes of Weak Hero Class 2 are now streaming on Netflix.
