Presentation
Korean Title: 스물다섯 스물하나
Aired in: 2022 (16 episodes)
Channel: tvN
Grade: 10/10
Actors: Kim Tae Ri, Nam Joo Hyuk, Bona, Choi Hyun Wook and Lee Joo Myung
For more…
Kim Tae Ri:
– Mr. Sunshine
– The Handmaiden (movie)
– 1987: When the Day Comes (movie)
– Little Forest (movie)
– Space Sweepers (movie)
Nam Joo Hyuk:
– Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
– The Bride of Habaek
– The Light in Your Eyes
– School Nurse Files
– Start Up
More dramas with a 80/90s vibe:
– Reply 1997
– Reply 1994
– Reply 1988
Analysis
Synopsis
Set in 1997 during the IMF crisis, the drama depicts the love story between Na Hee Do, a young fencer, who aspires to become a world champion; and Baek Yi Jin, a young man, who struggles to support his bankrupt family.
My Opinion (No Spoiler)
Twenty-Five, Twenty-One is a wonderful drama! It has this nostalgic and bittersweet vibe that reminded me of the Reply series. Plus, it is set in the late 1990s/early 2000s, exactly at a time when South Korea experiences many societal changes. Not only is this drama a coming-of-age story about growing up, but it also a reliable depiction of society and life.
Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk’s chemistry is incredible, their love story a whirlwind of different emotions, that won’t leave you unmoved and the squad a memorable group of friends. If you haven’t checked this gem, I highly recommend you do it right away!
Analysis (Spoiler Alert)
Love stories framed by History: Twenty-Five, Twenty-One depicts the lives of five young people, as they navigate through life and the numerous changes happening during the 1990s and early 2000s. That being said, it is obvious throughout the entire drama that the lives of the characters are intrinsically intertwined with the South Korean and world History. Indeed, there are two main relationships in that drama. Both are first loves, yet they evolve and end quite differently. Let’s dive into them right away.
Love story #1: Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin
This relationship is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. Although we want to believe that it can end on a positive note, the drama constantly points at both characters going their own way. Even if I was personally praying for a reunion – that unfortunately didn’t happen – main characters Na Hee Do (Kim Tae Ri) and Baek Yi Jin (Nam Joo Hyuk) still embodied a love that was pure, strong and intense.
The beginning, the 1997 IMF crisis: As mentioned before, the love story and History are deeply intertwined in the drama. Historical events are actually the cause of Hee Do and Yi Jin’s first and last encounters.
Indeed, the 1997 IMF crisis destroys Baek Yi Jin’s life. His family is bankrupt, he goes from a wealthy university student to a poor young man, forced to support his entire family. He suffers a lot, struggles to make ends meet and can’t seem to see the end of the tunnel. He is resigned, if not depressed. His dream of becoming a brilliant engineer is crushed and his entire world crumbles down. Just like for thousands of people at that time, he tries to stand up on his feet for his family, but he is lost, confused and disillusioned. At the very bottom of his life, he meets Na Hee Do. The 19-year-old adolescent is lively, innocent and full of life. She is a ray of hope in Yi Jin’s dark, empty and desperate existence. Contrary to Yi Jin, Hee Do’s family has not financially suffered from the crisis. Yet, her dream of becoming a professional fencer seems to be slipping through her fingers, as her high school team is disbanded due to the lack of funds. However, Na Hee Do doesn’t let that event get in the way of her career. She is resilience embodied, she never gives up and has decided to take her fate into her own hands. Hee Do’s determination, if not stubbornness, is probably one of the reasons that make Yi Jin care for her that much. She gives his life a new breath of fresh air and forces him to fight alongside her.
As they are both hindered by societal hurdles, they just decide to fight back to get what they want. They become each other’s support, which fosters a strong and intense connection between them. No matter the physical distance, they have each other’s back.
From the 1990s to the early 2000s: It is important to emphasize the fact that Hee Do and Yi Jin are not a couple back in 1997. The romance between them only starts to bloom in 2000, on January 1st 2000 to be precise.
Interstingly enough, there is a real parallel between the evolution and transformation of society and that of the main couple’s. Indeed, Twenty-Five, Twenty-One offers us a deep dive into the 1990s, the technology, the fashion, the Korean culture. The rise of Internet that starts in 2000 concur with the beginning of Hee Do and Yi Jin’s relationship. Now that they have grown up and can’t hide their feelings anymore, they decide to assume them entirely. It’s all roses and peaches for a time, until a new worldwide event occurs, a real blot on the landscape.
The end of a chapter, 9/11: The timing couldn’t have been worse. At the peak of their respective career and relationship, the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 forces Yi Jin to fly to New York to cover the news. The brilliant reporter witnesses hopelessness, grief, suffering and loss firsthand. This whole experience takes a real psychological toll on him to the point that even Na Hee Do can’t get through him anymore. The moment the fencer realizes she can’t comfort her lover anymore is a turning point in their story. The physical distance is emphasized by their inability to communicate.
9/11 marks the end of an era in the US, the end of a love story for the two main characters and the beginning of a new chapter for them as reporter and as fencer.
The end, saying goodbye in 2022: The story is built on the idea of a circle, with the present constantly bringing up the past through Hee Do’s journal that her daughter Kim Min Chae (Choi Myung Bin) reads avidly, and the past explaining characters’ present situations. In-between, the tunnel, where Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin meet and reunite several times, works as a bridge between both timelines, enabling an older Hee Do to make peace with her past self and her past relationship.
In the last episode, Min Chae is desperately looking for her mother’s last diary. She, as much as we, wish to know the end of Hee Do and Yi Jin’s relationship and the reasons behind a possible break up. Unfortunately, it seems like Hee Do lost it years ago and never managed to get her hands on it again. Thus, she never really made peace with her first love. Indeed, Hee Do and Yi Jin spoke terrible things to each other on their last conversation and regretted it. Luckily, Yi Jin found Hee Do’s diary in the bus and spoke his truth, the same way Hee Do had written hers down on paper. Yi Jin left the journal at the bookstore before his departure, but it never found its way back to Hee Do until 2022. Only then is the now mature woman and mother able to reconcile with Yi Jin, re-enacting their break up under the bridge. About 20 years later, the lovers can finally say their goodbyes.
The title: I loved how the screenwriter took the opposite view of the usual title given to such stories. Indeed, twenty-five and twenty-one are Hee Do and Yi Jin’s age when they break up, not the ones they have when they meet. It is a rather unexpected twist, but makes the drama totally understandable afterwards.
Love story #2: Ko Yu Rim and Moon Ji Woong
Contrary to Hee Do and Yi Jin’s romance, that of Ko Yu Rim (Bona) and Moon Ji Woong (Choi Hyun Wook) is one that is made to last. Despite Yu Rim’s reluctance at the beginning of the drama, she eventually opens up to Ji Woong and welcomes his love with open arms. I have to say that I had my doubts with these two at first. In high school, Moon Ji Woong’s popularity and lack of seriousness made me quite suspicious of his real feelings for Yu Rim. I thought he was simply trying to be his boyfriend because she was a famous athlete. I guess Ko Yu Rim felt the same too, hence her coldness and reluctance to even speak to him. However, Moon Ji Woong proves to be a faithful lover, whose feelings are unswayed despite distance, criticism and time passing by.
Little by little, he becomes an important pillar in Yu Rim’s life. He enables her to stand on her own feet, when her entire world comes crushing down. Better, he refuses to break up just because she has to leave for Russia. On the contrary, Ji Woong’s stubbornness is rewarded at the end. He and Yu Rim get married, proving that first loves can have their happy ending. Hee Do and Yi Jin were just not meant to be.
The world of sports:
Parallel between Hee Do and her daughter Min Chae: The drama starts in 2022 with Kim Min Chae hurriedly fleeing her ballet representation and taking refuge at her grandmother’s. The young adolescent is lost and at a crosswalk in her athlete’s life. She insists on the fact that she doesn’t like ballet anymore, but her mother (Na Hee Do) is convinced otherwise.
Stuck in what appears to be a slump, Min Chae discovers her mother’s old diaries that take her back to 1997. At that time, Hee Do was an unknown fencer, working hard on her dream to become a professional athlete. One page after another, Min Chae learns more about her mother’s past: her determination, her struggles, her friendships, her first love and the pivotal victories in her career. Through Min Chae’s eyes and lecture, we are told Hee Do and Yi Jin’s love story and rise from bottom to top.
Not only does it make Min Chae discover her mother under a completely new light, but it also forces her to question her choice and her ballet career. Does she really want to stop everything after all she has already accomplished? Does she still find it fun? Is she willing to give it up and move on or would she rather fight for her dream like her mother did 20 years ago?
Like mother, like daughter! It seems like as much as writing down her life empowered Na Hee Do, reading these lines gives her daughter the courage and strength she needed to give her sports another chance. Sports is after all not just a question of talent, but also of courage, resilience and determination.
Ko Yu Rim and Na Hee Do, from rivals to besties: The drama focuses on the career of the two main female leads Na Hee Do and Ko Yu Rim. So, it is normal that the story dives deep into the world of sports and everything it englobes.
Resilience leads to success: Starting with Na Hee Do, the drama highlights pretty early on that her passion for fencing comes from her father. He is the only person, who encouraged her to pursue her love for this sports. Unfortunately for her, she lost her father at a very young age. His death also shattered her entire familial dynamic. Her grieving mother became cold, despite her visible love for her daughter throughout the drama. Na Hee Do lost her only pillar in life and had to take it upon herself to continue on her dream path. Even though she was criticized, judged and even despised in this sports, her resilience forged her mental strength and ability to withstand quite anything. Determination and courage are the qualities required for Na Hee Do to become the athlete she was meant to be. She trained and fought probably harder than her rival Ko Yu Rim.
Hee Do vs Yu Rim: It is interesting to see that Hee Do and Yu Rim stand for different types of struggles athletes are usually confronted with. On the one hand, Hee Do has no support (before the arrival from Baek Yi Jin) and tries hard to stand strong. Yet, she is not personally affected by the IMF crisis. Indeed, her mother has money, which allows her to keep fencing without worrying about financial issues.
On the other hand, Ko Yu Rim enjoys her parents’ unconditional love and support, but struggles to stay afloat due to her parents’ finances. To be quite honest, I thought Yu Rim’s parents to be quite immature and irresponsible throughout the entire drama. I even wondered who was the parent and who was the child. Indeed, Ko Yu Rim is constantly forced to clean up after her parents (they took a loan for a scamming friend, they have an accident and need to pay for the damages). Money becomes the main hindrance to Ko Yu Rim’s career and to her friendship with Hee Do. She even has to switch nationality, accept the rejection and hatred from her beloved Korean fans to save her family from bankruptcy.
Friendship vs adversity: Taking a closer look at Hee Do and Yu Rim’s relationship, the least we can say is that they went through many ups and downs. I didn’t really appreciate Yu Rim at the beginning. I thought that she was very prejudiced against Na Hee Do, simply because she was jealous of her talent and her financial situation. She had a bad mentality that didn’t correspond at all with her usual personality outside the ring. Worse, she willingly hurt Hee Do, her number one fan, several times for no clear reason. The story of the stolen medal (Na Hee Do had supposedly been favored by the judge, which led to her victory in their final match) made my blood boil. Yu Rim was incapable of accepting defeat and was being a bad loser. To make things more complicated, her unacceptable behavior destroyed Hee Do’s reputation, tainted her victory and created a scandal in the newspapers. This scandal followed them until their retirement, since the press continuously opposed them.
However, Ko Yu Rim reviews her stand mid-drama. She discovers that Hee Do is good person, who genuinely likes her and admired her for her sports exploits. Moreover, both have the same group of friends: They argue over Baek Yi Jin, then associates with Seung Wan and Ji Woong. This forced proximity pushes Yu Rim to see Na Hee Do for who she really is and not what she represents. From the moment Yu Rim apologizes to Hee Do for her past behavior and is forgiven, a new long-lasting friendship is born. The two become inseparable friends, turning into an ally or a rival, when need be. Their final match at the 2001 Games in Madrid is as beautiful as heartbreaking. Hee Do fights for her country – cheered to defeat Nation’s Traitor Ko Yu Rim – and in search of victory against her rival number one, while Yu Rim fences to prove to herself and others that she assumes her choices. It is a match between nations, as much as it is a personal fight for the two fencers. Each has something to prove. Yet, behind the mask of professionalism, the audience can clearly see two best friends, desperately eager to reconnect after their heart-rending separation. Their embrace brought tears to my eyes, showing that these two care more about each other than victory. Plus, neither backed down. It was clearly a fight of titans.
This scene embodies all of the beautiful values displayed during the entire show. It is also a pivotal point in the career of both athletes. Each followed her path, at some point their routes converged only to separate again. After that, they met again at various occasions but never lost touch. I think this relationship in the sports world is pretty accurate. Throughout the course of your career, you are meant to meet other athletes that will influence your path, come and go out of your life.
Giving up when the time has come: Another interesting storyline, short but very deep, is that of Lee Ye Ji (Joo Bo Young). She trains at the same center as Yu Rim and Hee Do. But contrary to these 2 big names in the fencing world, Ye Ji feels she has no talent. On top of that, she has lost the will to pursue a career as a fencer. Resigned, she is about to give up. Yet, Coach Yang refuses to release her. Instead, she pushes her to train harder for her upcoming matches. Ye Ji escapes, forcing Yu Rim and Hee Do to act. They make a deal with the Coach. They decide to train Ye Ji for her last matches. If she wins, she can quit. If not, she has to continue. Ye Ji and her new trainers surpass themselves to the point that the young adolescent wins her competition. Still, this is not enough for her to keep going. She puts an end to her fencing career. Even if one may be surprised by such a behavior, I thought that in reality it was a very good strategy from her Coach. Indeed, she would rather have Ye Ji leave the sports after she has given her all and chooses to leave on her own accord, than let up give up midway with the possibility of regretting her lack of involvement later on. By forcing her to commit, Coach Yang gave Ye Ji the possibility to prove to herself she could succeed and that her decision was her own, not that of circumstances.
It is true that sometimes you need to know when to give up. Wen it comes to sports, I would quote Na Hee Do: You have to stop, when you don’t find it fun anymore. Plus, you never know what the future has in store for you! Giving up on a dream takes courage and it doesn’t mean your life is over. You just need to find yourself a new dream, a new goal in life that makes you happy and thrive towards it.
The world of journalism:
Twenty-Five, Twenty-One focuses on journalism, as much as on sports, offering us a lot of insights on the job. Being a reporter is definitely not an easy task, what Baek Yi Jin’s numerous struggles demonstrate.
Parallel between Yi Jin and Hee Do’s mother: We already talked about the many similarities between Hee Do and her daughter. Yet, another crucial parallel exists in the drama, that between Baek Yi Jin and Shin Jae Kyung (Seo Jae Hee), Hee Do’s mother. In my opinion, this one is actually more important than the previous one, as the resemblances between both careers precipitate the break up.
Although it was not his dream from the get-go, Baek Yi Jin becomes a reporter by necessity. He learns to appreciate this job and soon finds pleasure in doing it. Gradually, Yi Jin’s path as a reporter allows us to have insights on the job. We discover the struggle faced by reporters who don’t have a diploma to be recognized, the necessary devotion for the job, the emotional toll on the people working in this field and of course, the many sacrifices you need to make to get to the top like when:
– Jae Kyung covers breaking news instead of going to her husband’s funeral
– Jae Kyung betrays her best friend coach Yang Chan Mi (Kim Hye Eun) to cover a scandal of bribery in the fencing team
– Jae Kyung spends most of her time working instead of taking care of her daughter Hee Do
– Baek Yi Jin is forced to report Yu Rim’s departure for Russia and betrays her friendship (like Jae Kyung and Chan Mi)
– Baek Yi Jin leaves for New York to become a correspondent during the terror attack
– Baek Yi Jin doesn’t answer Hee Do’s calls and texts because he is too busy
– Baek Yi Jin becomes an anchorman, filling Jae Kyung’s shoes.
Whether it’d be positive or negative, Baek Yi Jin seems to be walking in Shin Jae Kyung’s footsteps. Even if this situation sounds ideal for the male lead, it has the worse impact on his relationship for Hee Do. Indeed, Na Hee Do has reproached her mother the fact that she would always put her career before her family, the same thing that is occurring for Baek Yi Jin. Indirectly, this indicates yet another cause that accelerates the break up, making it impossible for their love story to work one day.
Growing up, becoming an adult: Twenty-Five, Twenty-One is somehow a coming-of-age drama. It makes you go back to the days of your youth, when you lived intensely and without worries. It is a period of our lives we always wish to go back to, we are nostalgic about, we simply miss. Apart from that feeling that what is passed is passed, the drama also displays what it is like to grow up and to enter adulthood. Each character in the plot has it own way of growing up, but the main point here is that no matter what you do, it always leads you somewhere.
Take Ji Woong for instance. He was at the bottom of his class during high school. Studying was a pain for him, but he still managed to make someone out of himself. With the rise of the internet and social networks, he created a blog where he posted fashion looks. Over the years, his hobby turned into a business. The bad student became a respected and well-established CEO, married and committed.
A second example would be that of Ji Seung Wan (Lee Joo Myung). Contrary to her best friend Ji Woong, she was top of her class. She was very respected and appreciated by her classmates. One day, she got in an argument with one of her teachers. The latter resorted to violence against his students, whenever they messed up. Ji Seung Wan stood it as long as she could, until her best friend became the next victim. She stayed true to her values and principles. She chose to quit school to make a point and to succeed on her own. Her bravery is admirable and paid off in the end. She managed to get into college on her own and to land a job that corresponded her.
Seung Wan is actually quite an interesting character. She considers life boring and tries desperately to make it more entertaining. Hence her friendship with the turbulent Ji Woong. On top of that, she joins a TV production team of a variety show at the end of the drama. What better way than games to animate her boring life?
The ending and unsolved questions: I know, I know, the ending is bittersweet. I also desperately prayed for a happy ending, but the more I watched the drama, the more I understood that it never could’ve worked on the long-term.
Yes, Hee Do and Yi Jin met at a moment in their lives when they most needed each other. However, their paths were clearly different from the beginning. Neither would’ve wanted to have the other sacrifice his dream. Both had understood and accepted that. Instead, they chose to be each other’s strength in hard times and to respect their final decisions. I believe that the drama is quite relatable on that part. Few first loves actually turn into happily ever after. On that matter, I would even say that Yu Rim and Ji Woong are the exception that bends the rule.
This doesn’t change the fact that Hee Do and Yi Jin’s love was pure, intense and beautiful. To me, it’s enough comfort.
Nevertheless, some unsolved questions remain. One in particular: Who is Hee Do’s husband? I can get the fact that it is not relevant in the story and I accept it. But I definitely would’ve appreciated some more insights. Not even once do we get to see him. What is his job? How did they meet? Why is he so absent from Min Chae and Hee Do’s lives? Is he even alive?
The second set of questions revolve around Yi Jin’s mysterious life between 2009 and 2022. Until 2009, we have a clear depiction of his life. He becomes an anchorman that same year, but what about after. Does he get married? Does he have children? Is he even living in South Korea pursuing his career on the news?
I simply wish we had more answers to tie these loose ends!
Once Upon a Drama 