Thirteen-year-old Su-yeon is left alone after her grandmother passes away. Su-yeon’s friends and neighbors, whom she hoped would take her in, gradually turn their backs on her. Faced with being placed in a childcare facility if she can’t find a guardian, Su-yeon notices a couple who catch her eye. They are adopting a seven-year-old girl named Seon-yul and are immersed in happiness. Su-yeon tries to get close to Seon-yul, but she finds Seon-yul’s behavior somewhat suspicious. Waterdrop unfolds a panorama of ever-changing emotions. Starting as a tale of a pitiable orphan, it evolves into a sharp-edged survival mystery of a cunning child, equipped with piercing characters and dialogue, and unexpected dramatic twists. Ultimately, it poignantly confronts the weighty questions of protection and responsibility. The inscrutable faces and expressions of Su-yeon and Seon-yul encapsulate, surprisingly, the complex and subtle intricacies of the world. (JUNG Hanseok)