여러분 안녕! 잘 지내서?
Lately, I've been feeling super stressed out and overloaded with emotions. The thing is, I don't have any space to let it all out. Have you ever felt like you wanted to cry, but just couldn’t? Like, the situation and everything around you just doesn’t give you the chance to cry? Anyone else been through that?
Usually, the way I release all those pent-up tears is by reading a sad ending novel or watching a K-drama. So, I decided to go with Twenty-Five Twenty-One because, since it first dropped, this drama has been everywhere! Everyone’s been talking about it, my friends kept recommending it, and it’s got super high ratings on IMDb. So, I figured I’d watch the one with, supposedly, the most "realistic" ending.
The Main Characters
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It's rare to see a K-drama where the main characters could actually be part of the same friend group, even though they come from totally different backgrounds. It's pretty fun watching the friendship between the five main characters in this drama. What’s even cooler is how, even though they're all super busy, they still have each other's backs in their own way.
Na Hee Do (Kim Tae Ri), A Fencer Who Never Gives Up
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Na Hee Do once won a gold medal in fencing when she was a kid, but her skills didn’t seem to improve as she got older. Still, she was determined to keep fencing and dreamed of becoming a pro athlete.
Then, when the economic crisis hit Korea, Hee Do’s school fencing club got shut down. That forced her to get creative and find a way to transfer to another school that still had a fencing club.
Baek Yi Jin (Nam Joo Hyuk), A Hardworking Young Reporter
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The economic crisis left Baek Yi Jin’s family bankrupt, and his dad asked the family to live separately until he could pay off his debts. With his dad's bankruptcy, Yi Jin had to drop out of college and figure out how to survive.
He took on all sorts of odd jobs to get by and kept applying for jobs everywhere, but kept getting rejected. Until, by fate, he ended up becoming a reporter.
Go Yu Rim (Bona WJSN), Korea's Proud Celebrity Athlete
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She’s still pretty young, but Yu Rim is a national treasure—Korea’s pride as a fencing athlete who always wins gold medals in competitions. Yu Rim is also Hee Do’s idol, which makes Hee Do even more determined to keep playing fencing and become just like Go Yu Rim.
Moon Ji Woong (Choi Hyun Wook), A Handsome Guy with a Heart of Gold
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A handsome guy? Well, yeah, that's actually part of Ji Woong's nickname, haha. Ji Woong is pretty much the popular guy, a trendsetter among his friends, and loves expressing himself. He’s the type to be straightforward, but still keeps it polite. Ji Woong has this childhood best friend who's always been by his side, defending him no matter what.
Ji Seung Wan (Lee Joo Myoung), A Smart Class President, Ji Woong's Best Friend
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I thought Ji Seung Wan was going to be the antagonist, maybe teaming up with Yu Rim, but turns out, that’s just how she is, haha. Ji Seung Wan is the teacher’s pet type. She’s the class president, and her grades never drop. But at one point, she starts feeling like her life isn’t as fun as it seems.
The Setting: Late 1990s to 2000s
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If my sister watched this drama, she'd totally relate to her high school life. Unfortunately, I was only two years old in 1998, haha. Still, I can feel the vibe of how fun it was to be a teenager back then.
Back when technology wasn’t as advanced, this drama really hits home with how life used to be. Like, if you wanted to read comics or books, you’d have to borrow them from a rental shop. And at night, you’d always go out for snacks, and if you needed to call a friend, you’d use a public phone.
It’s like the drama is reminding us how fun those times were. Nowadays, we mostly communicate online and rarely meet in person. Even though we can stay connected, there’s definitely a big difference between gossiping face-to-face and doing it online, right? Hahaha.
Realistic Characters That Inspire
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In this drama, you won’t find a female lead who comes from a poor family, meets a chaebol, falls in love, and suddenly all her life problems get solved easily.
For me personally, every character in this drama feels realistic and inspiring. Take Baek Yi Jin, for example—he shows how hard he works to find a job, fails interviews over and over, and eventually becomes a reporter, even though he’s looked down on because he only has a high school diploma.
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| Photo: Pinterest/Nini |
Na Hee Do never gives up on showing her mom that her true passion is fencing, even going to ridiculous lengths just to transfer schools without her mom’s help. Although, in the end, her mom does get involved a little, haha.
Go Yu Rim steps out of her comfort zone to help her parents, even when she’s labeled a traitor to the country, despite not doing anything that harms the nation or anyone else.
Ji Seung Wan proves that smart people with a heart can do crazy things to get justice for others. And then there's Moon Ji Woong, who opens our eyes to the fact that everyone has their own path to success, even if his grades aren’t as great as others.
Healthy Competitions in the World of Sports
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For a certain reason, Hee Do, who once idolized Yu Rim, starts dreaming of becoming Yu Rim’s rival in the final match. Even though they become competitors, they keep it a healthy rivalry. They compete based on their talent, not by using the shady tricks you often see in a lot of K-dramas.
Captivated by Kim Tae Ri's Acting
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Yes, exactly! I’m totally captivated by Kim Tae Ri’s acting. Especially when she played Na Hee Do at 18, her performance was so real! From the way she talked to her mannerisms, and then the transition from young Na Hee Do to adult Na Hee Do, it feels like only Kim Tae Ri could’ve pulled off that character.
I’ve never watched any of Kim Tae Ri’s dramas before, so Twenty-Five Twenty-One is the first one I’ve seen. No wonder she’s won so many awards!
The Definition of Love Doesn't Have to Be Possessive
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Almost every K-drama ends with the main characters getting together, but Twenty-Five Twenty-One teaches us that love doesn’t have to be possessive. This is actually considered the most realistic part by a lot of people.
Because in real life, being compatible with someone doesn’t always mean it will last forever. Sometimes, we have to let go of someone we truly love for our own good. Trying to bring together two completely different personalities is no easy feat.
While this drama might teach us that breaking up can be done in a civil way, for me personally, there’s no such thing as a "good" breakup in a relationship. If it’s really good, then why break up at all?
From the beginning, Hee Do and Yi Jin both knew their relationship wouldn’t last because of their busy lives as an athlete and a reporter, but they still fought for it, only for it to eventually end. The reason? Besides being busy, they both wanted things from each other that were hard to achieve.
Overall, I think this drama is the most realistic one I’ve seen. From the characters to the storyline, and even the ending, everything feels super relatable to everyday life. Twenty-Five Twenty-One is one of the few K-dramas I watched non-stop. Even after a long day at work, I still made time to watch it so I wouldn’t be left hanging, haha!