Twenty Five Twenty One

A drama that breaks your heart gently

Twenty Five Twenty One is a love letter to youth that gently lures you in… and then absolutely devastates you.

It starts by making you feel invincible—dreams are loud, friendships are warm, and love feels like it can survive anything. You watch two people grow together, believe in each other, and make you believe too. Then, without being cruel about it, the drama slowly teaches you that timing, life, and growing up don’t always care about how much love there is. It crushes you not with betrayal, but with realism—people change, paths split, and some loves are meant to shape you, not stay.

And just when you’re emotionally wrecked, it heals you. It reminds you that even if a love doesn’t last forever, it was still real, still beautiful, and still worth everything. You end the drama sad… but grateful—smiling through tears, feeling like your heart grew instead of broke.

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I just can't describe howmuch i loved this drama....
The characters...
Na hee do .... She's just awesome
Baek yi jin .... Cutie pie
Thier love story..... How the love build up ..how they started to know each other..became so much for each other...
Thier first kiss...
Second one😩😩
But....
THE END
made me cry the most..
I cried for the whole episode..it was so heart breaking...
I wanted a happy ending for them when I watched their breakup .. but as the episode ended i realised ...yup it was a happy ending...
Not to talk about the group ....😩😩
Their friendship...
All three were also so awesome...
Altogether...
School life, love , friendship, rainbow, no need of a name for relationship, dreams, sacrifice, struggle,,. I just loved this drama ...so much...
After a very long time some drama made this big impact on me ... And it's just totally added to my very selective favourite list....
And yup...this drama made me cry the most
I will not recommend it to anyone ,so that their hearts can be healthy 💞🤌😩

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High on nostalgia

Twenty-Five Twenty- One is more about the journey than the destination itself. It's about two people who propel each other forward during difficult times and get each other to a better place in their individual journeys rather than focusing on being together ❤️ it has a beautiful message on individual growth in relationships and the joy relationships bring to our lives even when they're momentary. And sprinkled on that is the magic of nostalgia ✨️ I'm not from Korea and it still took me back to a time of innocence and when internet was still fairly new.
TFTO has great characters, and very talented actors who do them justice. Both the leads have great chemistry and I really enjoyed watching them on screen together. I also really enjoyed their friends, coach, and others. Fencing is obviously at the center of the show, and the creators make sure that it's the focus till the very end unlike some other shows where the FL's dream and profession is quickly forgotten as the show progresses.
What didn't work for me is that the show is mostly set in one stage of the characters' lives, it sort of gets stuck in high school. The later part of their lives is rushed through in last 3- 4 episodes. So the show premise and title is deceptive in a way, because it made me think that it'll capture the lead characters' lives in different stages. So like another comment here stated it really wouldn't have mattered if the daughter and older FL weren't there. I found the FL very engaging and it would have been great to see her life in her 30s, some more of her marriage and motherhood. I also didn't buy the ending. It didn't seem like a natural course of their relationship although I believed in the sentiment behind it, that you can't have everything but you can preserve the beauty of the moments. But, their relationship had been shown to be so strong early on that it seemed a little forced that it ended the way it did.
Overall, of course this is a great show, very well made, and showcases the best of its lead actors. But, don't expect too much from the ending. Go in thinking of it as high school sport drama with some flashback and you'll come out happy 😊

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It has a special place in my heart

To be honest I waited quiet a while before writing this review because it's completely: 1-to get over it, 2- to only point out some things. So here is my confused review that can't express half of what I could say:

First, the story is about so much more than love. Their is friendship of course, with a group of friends I really laughed with with all their adventures and stories;
the passion of the main character for her sport and the tension they could create in matches, we felt her passion, her despair, her pure joy, she lived her sport and we lived through her, being excited and anxious with her;
the feel of the 80-90's period and all the historical events being brought up, really adding something. We can feel the world changing and the characters growing with it, a coming-of age story where we see the evolution and different path the chance can push you to take, it was both refreshing and melancholic in a certain way.
Also of course (but I'll still say it) all of the characters were so lovable and everything kept you interested. It's not one of those drama were you only wait for the characters you like to get screen time, nor one of those were the second lead is only here to revitalize the story when the lead couple becomes boring, no. Here, at least for me, all the characters had something to add and we were happy to see all of them on screen. They also had a good development so we were watching them live and accomplish, not only be the same with an objective that had to fulfill (being the best friend, having a heartbreak, being poor, things like that that doesn't define a person but are sometimes used as the sole characterization of characters)
Do I need to say the chemistry was perfect and the moments between the leads both cute and funny? Well they were, and the main reason is because it is slow burn. REAL slow burn. Meaning they don't have a reason to be together and fake their live until they make it. Here it's more about getting to know each other perfectly, feeling fluttery bit by bit then this sensations growing into live, the love kept secret, etc, all the steps for the spectator to really enjoy every bit of their story. After getting really close and even after becoming a couple, it didn't become flat and lose the cuteness of the beginning. I followed every step with the up most attention and investment. They unquestionably became one of my favourite couple.
However, even though I found the end obviously good and even poetic in a certain aspect it broke me. I was so moved after finishing the series because I was so invested in it. I really feel like I watched something great and I have this emptiness not only from having finished a series I love and missing the feels and atmosphere but also the quite realistic anxiety that I may not feel so much with other drama because 25 21 was objectively incredibly good.
(Well I ended up writing a lot haha)
Anyway if you haven't had a chance yet or hesitate to watch it, do it. You will not regret it :)

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After My Second Watch, I Finally Understand the Ending

Twenty-Five Twenty-One: After My Second Watch, I Finally Understand the Ending — A Happy Ending for Her, a Lifetime of Regret for Him
The first time I watched Twenty-Five Twenty-One in 2022, the ending broke my heart. It stayed with me for weeks, and after that, I avoided watching dramas with sad endings because I didn't want to experience that kind of heartbreak again.
Recently, I watched Four Hands, Two Sonatas, and its happy ending reminded me how satisfying it can be when a love story gives its characters the happiness they deserve. That encouraged me to rewatch Twenty-Five Twenty-One. I wanted to experience the story again, and perhaps understand the ending differently this time.
After my second watch, I realized something: I still love this drama, but my feelings about Baek Yi-jin have changed. I no longer see the ending in quite the same way. This time, I felt that Na Hee-do deserved better.
Baek Yi-jin: A Good Person, but the Right Man for Na Hee-do?
Baek Yi-jin is not a bad person. He is hardworking, responsible, and someone who has endured enormous difficulties. I understand the pressure he faced because of his family's financial problems and his career. I understand that he wanted to succeed and rebuild his life.
But understanding his struggles doesn't mean I have to agree with his decisions.
Na Hee-do loved him sincerely. She supported him, believed in him, and shared some of the most important moments of her youth with him. Their relationship wasn't just a romance; it was built on friendship, encouragement, laughter, and growing up together.
That's what makes their ending so painful. They had something beautiful, yet he couldn't protect it.
The New York Decision Changed Everything for Me
The second time I watched the drama, Baek Yi-jin's decision to go to New York affected me differently. I understand why he went. His career mattered, and he was dealing with difficult circumstances. However, I couldn't stop asking myself why he and Na Hee-do couldn't have faced that decision together.
Why couldn't he have talked to her about it? Why couldn't he have tried to make their long-distance relationship work?
A long-distance relationship would have been difficult, especially given everything happening in their lives. But difficult doesn't automatically mean impossible. They could have discussed their fears, made a plan, and decided together whether they were willing to try.
What hurt me most was feeling that Na Hee-do was left to accept a decision that changed their future without being given the chance to fight for their relationship in the way I wanted to see.
I know Baek Yi-jin had his own pain, but Na Hee-do had feelings, dreams, and fears too. She deserved to be part of that conversation. Love shouldn't mean that one person quietly decides what is best for both people.
Na Hee-do Deserved to Be Chosen, Too
Na Hee-do was young, passionate, and determined. She worked hard for her dreams, and she loved Baek Yi-jin with her whole heart. She wasn't asking him to abandon his ambitions or forget his responsibilities. I wanted to see him make an effort to find a way for their love and their individual dreams to coexist.
What hurts is that their relationship seemed to become another sacrifice she had to accept.
I wanted Baek Yi-jin to fight for her, to tell her honestly what he was going through, and to give their relationship a real chance before letting it go. I wanted them to make that decision together.
Na Hee-do deserved someone who chose her—not someone who loved her but ultimately allowed circumstances and career decisions to separate them without trying hard enough, in my eyes, to preserve what they had.
And What About Baek Yi-jin?
This is where my imagined ending differs from the drama's ending.
I wish the series had shown us Baek Yi-jin in his forties: successful in his career, perhaps having achieved everything he once worked toward, but still single and carrying the regret of losing Na Hee-do.
I want him to remember her for the rest of his life. I want him to remember their conversations, their promises, their happiness, and especially the New Year promise that meant so much to them. I want him to look back and understand that success cannot replace every person we lose along the way.
In my imagined ending, he never marries someone else. He spends his life regretting that he didn't fight harder for the woman he loved. He realizes that he could have tried to make things work, that he could have communicated better, and that he made a choice he can never undo.
Some might say this is a harsh ending for him, but that is the ending I wish the story had given him. I wanted him to understand the weight of losing Na Hee-do—not just as a memory from his youth, but as the person he will always wish he had chosen differently.
My Happy Ending for Na Hee-do
Na Hee-do, on the other hand, deserves happiness.
I imagine her moving forward, healing from the heartbreak, and eventually meeting someone who chooses her wholeheartedly. Someone who communicates with her, stands beside her through difficult times, and doesn't make her wonder whether their relationship is worth fighting for.
I imagine her getting married and raising her daughter in a loving home. Her life continues, and she discovers that the end of her first great love isn't the end of her chance to be happy.
That is the ending I wanted for her: not a life spent waiting for Baek Yi-jin, but a future filled with love, peace, and the kind of commitment she deserved.
And perhaps, one day, Baek Yi-jin sees that she has built a beautiful life without him. He sees that she is loved, that she has a family, and that she has found the happiness he failed to give her. He can be proud of her achievements, but he must also live with the knowledge that he lost his chance to be part of that life.
In my version, Na Hee-do gets her happy ending, while Baek Yi-jin carries his regret for the rest of his life.
Final Thoughts
Even after my second watch, Twenty-Five Twenty-One remains a memorable drama. Its characters, friendships, youthful dreams, and emotional storytelling make it special. I understand why the ending was written the way it was, and I know that life doesn't always give us the love story we want.
But understanding an ending doesn't mean I have to like it.
My second watch changed how I see Baek Yi-jin. I can sympathize with his struggles while still believing that Na Hee-do deserved more effort, more communication, and a partner who would fight for their relationship alongside her.
I still wish the drama had shown us an older Baek Yi-jin, alone and successful but forever regretting losing Na Hee-do, while she had moved on and found the happiness she deserved.
Maybe that isn't the ending the writers intended, but it is the ending that would have given me a different kind of closure.
For me, Twenty-Five Twenty-One will always be a beautiful, heartbreaking story about first love, growing up, and the people we lose along the way. But after watching it again, I know exactly what ending I wanted: a happy life for Na Hee-do, and a lifetime of regret for Baek Yi-jin.

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25 21 is a much loved drama by many.. and I see why now...

A lot of people love this drama, so I had to watch it to see why it's so loved by many...
Story: This drama is beautifully written, usually I don't go for shows involving sports as I usually find them boring to watch and drop them but for this drama I loved it and kept binging episodes without skipping through. I couldn't stop smiling at all of the happy moments and there were times I almost broke down into tears with the sad scenes. The ending was painful to watch as I'm sad the main couple wasn't end game but I'm happy the 2nd couple had their happy ending. I also like the message the writer gave to the viewers by telling them to relish everything such as people, memories, etc. And that it prioritizes different topics such as friendship over romance and the present over the past.
Acting: Kim Tae-Ri and Kim Jihyeon's acting stood out to me the most. Kim Tae Ri did amazing as Na Hee Do, most of the time I forgot she was an adult because she fit her character very well with youthful acting (her tantrums were hilarious to watch and it was so wholesome seeing her so excited over stickers) Kim Jihyeon did incredible acting horribly towards Kim Tae Ri's character and with her sad scenes. I couldn't help having a love-hate relationship with her character. Nam Joo Hyuk and Choi Hyun Wook did well as well their chemistry with the girls were beautiful and made my heart flutter many times!
Music: OSTs were nice, Stardust Love Song and Starlight are a must-have for my KDrama playlist!
Not sure I would rewatch this again cause of how painful the ending with the main couple was to watch, I think watching once is enough for me haha...

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A realistic youth life story

Some of my relatives dropped this serial at the 14th episode, but i continued it until the end. Well it burst out all my tears.. ig

Na Heedo as the main lead here is a very hardworking fencing athlete, she is ready to fight anything for it. It represents the teenager phase of chasing dream and the phase when the path is never flat. However, her journey to success also has some romantic and heartwarming friendship stories. The friendship story is really a thing for me, even at the end of their highschool era when they separate to different ways, they still stick together sometimes. Also Ko Yurim is also an inspiring character. The whole plot would relate to people in their highschool era, 20s fighting for work after college, or some newbie intern workers who are still having hundreds of complaints and mistakes, and it's not a cliché one. But if you only highlight the main lead romance.. i suggest you to watch until the 14th episode :) in my opinion, this drama isn't only about Heedo and Yijin, but also youth spirit and hardworking journey to success.

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One of the best kdrama i've ever watch

Ceritanya realistis, hangat, inspiratif, sekaligus manis. suka banget sama karakter na hee do yang berapi2 dan bersemangat ngegambarin masa muda yang ambisius dan berapi-api sekaligus menginspirasi gue buat selalu bersemangat raih mimpi. Disisi lain ada karakter baek yi jin yang lebih tenang tapi seringkali hilang arah hidup, dimana hal itu relate banget sama kehidupan para young adult yang seringkali bingung nentuin tujuan hidup. Selain dua karakter utama, karakter pendukung lainnya juga menarik, dan punya pesonanya tersendiri. Kadang sifat atau kejadian yang mereka alamin ngingetin kita sama salah satu temen kita, keluarga kita, bahkan diri kita sendiri. Masalah batin tiap karakternya seringkali relate sama beberapa fase hidup gue. I also love the humor, the plot, especially the development character.

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Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a story about going after your dreams, friendship, love and growing up. Na Hee Do dreams of becoming a professional fencer to rival her idol, Ko Yu Rim. The slightly older Baek Yi Jin has no dreams left and is just struggling to survive. As he supports Hee Do with her fencing ambitions, he’s slowly inspired to go after something better himself.

I loved this so much. I loved the 90s setting, the fencing, the characters and their relationships. The relationship between Hee Do and Yi Jin is so lovely. They really lean on and bring out the best in each other. The relationship between them did feel a little strange when she was still in high school, but it became more natural after she graduated. The relationships between Hee Do and Yu Rim and Yu Rim and Moon Ji Woong are precious as well. At first Yu Rim is antagonistic towards Hee Do, but later on they develop a great friendship. They get each other really well and the way they later unconditionally support each other is gold.

The story builds fairly consistently, with some gutting twists in the second half. The ending is bittersweet and realistic. The last two episodes were way too drawn out though. While they had some very beautiful tearjerking moments, things became too overdramatic and I found myself checking multiple times how much longer they’d take.

All of the actors did amazing. Kim Tae Ri was very loveable and relatable as Na Hee Do. In the beginning I thought her character was kind of obnoxious, but Kim Tae Ri completely won me over with her sincerity. Nam Joo Hyuk, what can I say, just amazing. Baek Yi Jin had the biggest character arc and Nam Joo Hyuk portrayed every step of the journey wonderfully. Bona was great as Ko Yu Rim too, at times so sweet and fragile and at others cruel and cold. I could go on and on.

The one thing I didn’t love about this drama is how the story is framed in the present day. The long present day intro of the first episode almost made me drop it completely. It didn’t add anything, then or later. As a viewer I just found it jarring to be pulled out of the glorious 90s storyline and to be confronted with the Covid nightmare and Hee Do’s annoying daughter. The feeling of nostalgia and the message that youth and the good times etc. are temporary could just as well have been limited to the last episode.

If any of the other things mentioned above speak to you, I would absolutely recommend giving this drama a try.

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