About Twenty-Five Twenty-One
Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a South Korean coming-of-age drama that aired on tvN in early 2022. Set largely in 1998 against the backdrop of South Korea's IMF financial crisis, the series follows Na Hee-do, a spirited high school fencer whose team is disbanded amid the nationwide economic downturn, and Baek Yi-jin, a young man whose once-wealthy family is left in ruin by the same crisis. Their paths cross as both try to rebuild their lives, and an unlikely bond forms between them.
The story traces the pair across several years as Hee-do pursues her dream of becoming a national fencing champion and Yi-jin works his way up from odd jobs toward a career as a broadcast journalist. Their relationship deepens from friendship into first love, while the drama also follows the friendships, rivalries, and ambitions of the people around them, including fellow fencer Ko Yu-rim. The title refers to the ages the two leads reach at a pivotal point in their relationship.
Praised for its nostalgic late-1990s atmosphere, its naturalistic performances, and its bittersweet tone, Twenty-Five Twenty-One became one of the most talked-about Korean dramas of its year. The series is framed in part through flashback, with an adult narrative thread that lends the youthful story a wistful, reflective quality and contributed to wide discussion of its ending among viewers.