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5 Questions About “Twenty Five Twenty One” That Will Never Be Answered
Twenty Five Twenty One may have come to a conclusion earlier this month, but many of us are still dwelling on the K-Drama’s unanswered questions. (Who is Kim Min Chae’s father?!)
#TwentyFiveTwentyOne #BaekDo #NamJooHyuk #KimTaeRi
Twenty Five Twenty One is a captivating K-Drama that warmed our hearts and made us fall in love with an endearing ’90s squad. Na Hee Do (Kim Tae Ri), Baek Yi Jin (Nam Joo Hyuk), Ko Yu Rim (Bona), Ji Seungwan (Lee Ju Myung), and Moon Ji Woong (Choi Hyun Wook) are the best friends we never knew we needed, and that aspect alone was already perfection.
The K-Drama followed the lives of people with dreams, hardships, perseverance, trials, failures, mistakes, betrayal, sacrifices, love, heartbreak, victories, and everything in between. It’s youth in a nutshell. No, it’s life in a nutshell, rather.
Over a span of 16 episodes, there was no denying that Twenty Five Twenty One made viewers cry, laugh, and dream while either reminiscing about the past, feeling the present, or looking forward to the future. It was the softest form of magic that showcased a range of human emotions, the lengths people would go to in order to achieve their goals, things people would give up for the people they love, and the power of never giving up.
So, it hurt big time when they built us up only to tear us to pieces in the final episode. We’re still hung up on Twenty Five Twenty One, because it never gave us any closure beyond the star-crossed love story of anchor Baek Yi Jin and gold medalist fencer Na Hee Do. Here are questions about the popular show that will never be answered. *sob*
(Oh, and there are major spoilers ahead, by the way. So if you haven’t watched it yet, avert your eyes now. Then come back after you’ve watched the series.)
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Who Is Kim Min Chae’s Father?
Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin sent us on a metaphorical scavenger hunt to unravel the main mystery of the massively popular K-Drama, Twenty Five Twenty One. Many theories flew around about it, and it kept us all at the literal edge of our seats. To our surprise, the K-Drama ended without revealing the one truth we wanted to know about it, the one answer that would have made the wait worthwhile; who is Kim Min Chae’s father?
It’s obviously not Baek Yi Jin (and that broke our hearts, by the way), so who is it then?
Viewers were eagle-eyed enough to catch little details that appeared to be Easter eggs, but clearly, we couldn’t be more wrong. None of those were clues. If they were never going to reveal who her father is, then what was the point of all the mysterious diary reading and the father who never showed up throughout the run of the show? We were expecting a grand entrance.
Maybe we’re just too perceptive? Or maybe, just maybe, the writers changed the ending last minute to prove us wrong? We guess we’ll never know now.
2. Is Baek Yi Jin Adopted?
There was one scene wherein Baek Yi Jin had an emotional phone call with his father. His dad then said, “You were my greatest blessing 10 years ago”. If you do the math, it would not make sense, since he was already in his twenties when his father said those words.
Sooooo, is Baek Yi Jin adopted or did his dad miscount? Or were the subtitles wrong?
3. Why Didn’t Baek Yi Jin Just Leave the Diary at Na Hee Do’s House?
A hidden sequence in the finale episode shows us that Na Hee Do’s missing diary was found by her ex-boyfriend, Baek Yi Jin. Before he relocates to New York for his new reporter job, he asks his former boss at the comic book store to return it to Na Hee Do for him. The store owner forgets, and the diary is stored in a box until he finds it in the far future. He proceeds to give the diary to Kim Min Chae with a message that he’s sorry for the delay.
An important note written in the diary by Baek Yi Jin gives adult Na Hee Do the closure she needed when she was 21 years old.
Anyway, our point is: Yes, Baek Yi Jin was trying to avoid Na Hee Do, but why didn’t he just leave the diary at the gate of her house without knocking (like he did with the suitcase)?
4. Does Adult Na Hee Do Stay In Contact With Her Old Teenage Squad?
There are multiple scenes that take place in present day, with a headstrong Min Chae, adult Na Hee Do, and silver-haired and mellowed anchor Shin Jae Kyung (Na Hee Do’s mom).
We already know that Ko Yu Rim and Moon Ji Woong found their happy-ever-after together. Also, Ji Seungwan most probably married the brother of Baek Yi Jin. The male lead continues to live his dream of being a news anchor and the heroine is married to (insert name here), with whom she shares a daughter. Additionally, anchor Shin Jae Kyung is a happy grandmother with light hair and wrinkles as proof of her well-lived youth and relaxed retirement.
Everyone has their own life and a new story to live, but our question is: are they still in contact with each another? We sincerely hope so!
5. What Was The Point of the Post Credit Sequence?
When the credits started rolling, we had to accept that we were not going to get any answers to these burning questions. We could almost literally hear every K-Drama fan complaining at the top of their lungs in their best Korean.
But then, an unexpected post-credit sequence appeared, showing Baek Yi Jin on his back at the UBS broadcasting office. He was trying to recover an old email address by answering a security question: Who was your first love?
The answer? Na Hee Do.
And that is where the exhilarating K-Drama completely crushed our hearts; not because we were moved by his answer, but because it was totally irrelevant to what we were anticipating.
It’s nice that Na Hee Do was your first love, Baek Yi Jin, but honestly, we just want to know who Kim Min Chae’s dad is. Thanks.
One of the Best K-Dramas Ever
All in all, Twenty Five Twenty One is still one of the most spectacular K-dramas ever. A huge round of applause for the talented team behind this masterpiece. Smiles, tears, laughter, great soundtracks, and happiness all the way. Let’s just accept defeat, because all our theories were wrong.
