Welcome to Waikiki () is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Kim Jung-hyun, Lee Yi-kyung and Son Seung-won. It aired on JTBC from February 5 to April 17, 2018, every Monday and Tuesday at 23:00 (KST).
On June 6, 2018, it was renewed for a second season, which premiered on March 25, 2019.
Synopsis The story is about three men who come to run a failing guesthouse called Waikiki. Complications spark when their guesthouse is visited by a single mother and her baby.
Cast
Main Kim Jung-hyun as Kang Dong-gu A short-tempered young man that resembles an "icon of misfortune" who dreams of becoming a movie director. Picking himself up after a painful breakup, he starts working again, and later falls in love with Yoon-ah. Lee Yi-kyung as Lee Joon-ki The son of an A-list actor who wants to follow the footsteps of his father but is stuck in minor roles. He is very determined to make it on his own and would go to great lengths in order to land better roles. He is allergic to walnut. He eventually sees Seo-jin as a woman. Son Seung-won as Bong Doo-sik A kindhearted but timid freelance writer who barely receives work. He currently works in a convenience store and whiles his time away writing a web story. Jung In-sun as Han Yoon-ah A single mother who ends up staying in the guesthouse with her daughter Sol in exchange for helping out. She makes the other residents uncomfortable with her quirky behavior and is prone to forgetting things and causing accidents. She initially wanted to be a rapper but later on studied in earnest to be a pastry chef. Afraid of trusting men again, she eventually agrees to be Dong-gu's girlfriend. Go Won-hee as Kang Seo-jin Dong-gu's sister who wants to be a journalist but had difficulty landing a job. Joon-ki calls her Chewbacca, later on shortened to Bacca. Her facial hair is a source of embarrassment and she has to shave it regularly. She falls for and starts a relationship with Joon-ki in but hides it from her disapproving brother. Lee Joo-woo as Min Soo-ah Dong-gu's ex-girlfriend and a famous model, who suddenly broke up with him. She ends up staying in the guesthouse when her new boyfriend ran away with all her money. She tries to make a comeback with Doo-sik's help.
Supporting Kang Kyung-joon as Song Hyun-joon (eps. 9–16) A pastry chef, the owner of bakery, and an instructor in Yoon-ah's school, who is in love with Yoon-ah. Lee Jung-hyuk as Kim Woo-sung Ryu Hye-rin as Jin-joo Lee Ji-ha as Ji-soo's mother Kim Ji-sung as Ah-young Chang Ryul as Jang-yul
Special appearances Park Sung-woong as Park Sung-woong (ep. 1) An actor. Seol Jung-hwan as Lee Yoon-suk (eps. 1–2, 10–11) Soo-ah's boyfriend who is a con-artist. Han Ji-sang as Tae Hyun (eps. 2–3) Seo-jin's college senior and first boyfriend. Go Min-si as Lee Min-ah (ep. 3) Doo-sik's co-worker. Choi Ri as Ji-min (ep. 3) Joon-ki's waxer. Kim Young-ok as Jang-gun's grandmother (ep. 4) Lee Deok-hwa as Lee Deok-hwa (ep. 4) An actor and Joon-ki's father. Jason Scott Nelson as a hotel guest (ep. 4) Kim Seo-hyung as Kim Hee-Ja (ep. 4) An actress. Jo Woo-ri as Sun-woo (ep. 5) The daughter of Doo-sik's boss. Jin Ye-sol as Kwon Hye-jin (ep. 5) A script writer who wanted to date Joon-ki. Jeon Soo-kyeong as the owner of Waikiki Guesthouse (ep. 6) Wheesung as Wheesung (ep. 6) A wedding singer. Han Bo-bae as Yoon Mal-geum / Cherry An adult movie actress and Doo-sik's first love. (eps. 7–9) Kang Kyun-sung as Kang Kyun-sung (ep. 10) An actor playing as a masked octopus. Shin Seung-hwan as Min Soo-bong (ep. 11) Soo-ah's brother and a UFC fighter. Tae In-ho as Kim Jae-woo (eps. 11–12) A producer at JBC. Kim Byung-se as Park Chang-ho (ep. 12) An announcer. Yoon Se-ah as Dong-gu's university club senior (ep. 12) Jung Soo-young as a department store person Kim Ki-hyeon as Min Ki-young (ep. 13) An actor. Seo Yu-ri as Radio DJ Seo Yu-ri (ep. 13) Kang Hong-seok as Hong-suk (ep. 13) Shin Hyun-soo as Philip (ep. 16) A model. Lee Ha-yool as Seo Jin-woo (ep. 16) An actor.
Olena Sidorchuk as Angela (ep. 17)
HALO as ASTAR (ep. 18) An idol group. Kim Kiri as MC Dacopy (ep. 19) A rapper. Kim Jin-woo as Sol's father (ep. 20) Kim Ho-chang as Lee Sang-heon (ep. 6)
Episodes Series overview
Welcome to Waikiki (2018)
Welcome to Waikiki 2 (2019)
Production Ryu Hwa-young was first offered a major role, but declined. The first script reading of the cast was held on December 18, 2017, at the JTBC building in Sangam-dong.
On March 6, 2018, JTBC extended the series for four more episodes and aired two commentary specials in preparation for the extension.
Original soundtrack
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Viewership
+ Average TV viewership ratings (nationwide) Original broadcastdate Title Average audience shareNielsen Korea TNmS 1 February 5, 2018 The New World() 1.742% 2.6% A Family is Born() 2 February 6, 2018 Anyone Can Be a Wolverine() 1.861% 2.2% You Know What? It's a Secret() 3 February 12, 2018 A Beautiful Farewell() 1.743% Are You Still Dreaming?() 4 February 13, 2018 You Did a Good Job() 1.635% 2.2% His And Her Circumstances() 5 February 19, 2018 Nothing's Wrong With You!() 1.595% 1.9% Perfect Room to Recover() 6 February 20, 2018 Jealousy is My Power() 1.589% 2.1% Marriage is an Insane Act() 7 February 26, 2018 The Girl We Loved() 1.733% 2.4% When a Man Falls in Love() 8 February 27, 2018 A Cute Woman() 2.6% For Love() 9 March 5, 2018 A Secret You Can't Tell() 2.007% 2.5% My Gangster Lover() 10 March 6, 2018 My Love Olivia() 1.966% 1.9% A Simple Confession() Special March 12, 2018 rowspan="2" 1.091% 1.8% March 13, 2018 1.291% 1.8% 11 March 19, 2018 Night Of The Living Dead() 1.837% I Love You So Much() 12 March 20, 2018 I'm a Woman Too() 2.102% 2.0% Life And Death Situation() 13 March 26, 2018 Secretly Greatly() 1.652% 2.6% A Real Man() 14 March 27, 2018 The Morning Dew in Colombia() 1.582% 2.2% No Matter How Much I Think About You() 15 April 2, 2018 Hide And Seek() 1.590% 1.9% 16 April 3, 2018 Their Wretched Love() A Simple Confession 2() 17 April 9, 2018 For New Couples() 1.941% 2.2% Can Love Be Translated?() 18 April 10, 2018 Stalker() 2.069% 2.0% Dancing With Elizabeth() 19 April 16, 2018 The Dancer in the Dark() 1.616% 2.3% Misfortune Always Comes() 20 April 17, 2018 Because It Hurts() 2.081% 2.3% Average In the table above, the represent the lowest ratings and the 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). Episode 10 was cut into two parts for the preparation of the extension of the show. Episodes 11 and 12 did not air as originally planned on March 12 and 13, 2018. Instead, they were aired a week later on March 19 and 20. The one-week delay was to allow time for better production. A special episode was broadcast on March 12 and 13, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and commentary by the performers.
Remake A Vietnamese remake titled aired in 2020 on VTV3.
References
External links
on JTBC Worldwide