3 Stages Of Kim Tae Ri And Nam Joo Hyuk’s Relationship As They Grow Closer In “Twenty Five, Twenty One”

Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk’s relationship in “Twenty Five, Twenty One” has changed a lot!

Set in 1998, “Twenty Five, Twenty One” tells the story of youth whose dreams were taken from them due to the IMF crisis. Kim Tae Ri stars as Na Hee Do, an aspiring fencer, and Nam Joo Hyuk stars as Baek Yi Jin, whose family was torn apart due to the financial crisis. Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Ji first meet when they are 18 and 22 years old and fall in love years later when they are 21 and 25.

As the drama continues, here are the three stages of their relationship so far:

Spoilers

Stage 1: Managing the proper distance

18-year-old Na Hee Do, an aspiring fencing athlete, and Baek Yi Jin, who started a part-time job in order to make a living, met for the first time by accident while Baek Yi Jin was delivering newspapers. This led to their relationship becoming one of a part-timer at a book rental shop and a regular customer. Upon hearing Baek Yi Jin’s advice, Na Hee Do transferred to Taeyang High School, which is home to the highly admired fencing gold medalist Go Yoo Rim (WJSN‘s Bona). However, Na Hee Do had a difficult time due to the cold atmosphere at the school. Meanwhile, Baek Yi Jin suffered from the resentment of creditors who came seeking his father. Surprising Baek Yi Jin with a water fountain made from flipping over a faucet, Na Hee Do tried to comfort him by saying, “When we’re together, let’s secretly be happy for a little bit,” leading the two to became closer.

However, when Na Hee Do was hurt by Go Yoo Rim and wanted to be comforted by Baek Yi Jin, she was disappointed by his hesitation and said, “I failed to keep my distance from all the people I like.” Nevertheless, after failing an interview, Baek Yi Jin was able to laugh about it by learning to change a tragedy into a comedy from Na Hee Do. Before the match to fight for a place on the national team, Baek Yi Jin told Na Hee Do, “You make other people do well, not just yourself. I praise you for it. That’s why I root for you.” Thanks to Baek Yi Jin’s sincere words, they managed to maintain the proper distance again.

Stage 2: Endless support despite the distance

With Baek Yi Jin’s encouragement and support, Na Hee Do was selected for the national team and ran first to Baek Yi Jin after finding out. However, because his brother was in a dangerous situation, Baek Yi Jin had already left for Pohang without saying anything. He was far away from Na Hee Do and struggled from being away from her, but he endured his tough reality by listening to the voicemail that Na Hee Do had left on the pager. The voicemail said, “No matter where you are, I’ll make sure my support reaches you.” Na Hee Do also endured a difficult life at the National Training Center but was comforted by the fencing sword that Baek Yi Jin had written “National Team Member Na Hee Do” on as well as the recordings of Baek Yi Jin from when he was in the Broadcasting Club at Taeyang High School.

Although Baek Yi Jin was worn out, he unconsciously smiled while watching Na Hee Do win a bronze medal on television. Upon hearing Baek Yi Jin’s voicemail that said, “Wait, Hee Do,” Na Hee Do shed tears. The two became closer and closer despite their physical distance as they mentally supported each other through difficult times.

Stage 3: Closing the distance

National fencing team member Na Hee Do and UBS junior reporter Baek Yi Jin had a fate-like dramatic reunion. Baek Yi Jin rescued Na Hee Do from a crisis, and she safely made it to the finals at the Asian Games. After a fierce match with Go Yoo Rim, Na Hee Do won the gold medal. However, controversy arose after the referee’s judgement was disputed. Na Hee Do was afraid after being hurt by her mother and many others, but she was comforted by Baek Yi Jin and felt grateful that he reported an interview with the referee to clear up misunderstandings. However, Baek Yi Jin recalled the words of his senior who said, “Not too far, not too close. It’s an iron rule to maintain distance between reporters and their sources.”

Additionally, Na Hee Do began to harbor strange feelings towards Baek Yi Jin, feeling bothered by his past girlfriends and overwhelmed about Baek Yi Jin’s unintentional actions. Later, Na Hee Do was furious at Baek Yi Jin’s prank and was upset about the clear distance between the two of them. While apologizing to Na Hee Do about the prank, Baek Yi Jin was also confused about his feelings. Furthermore, Na Hee Do also misunderstood and thought that Baek Yi Jin is her online friend “Injeolmi,” leading her to confess, “I must have you.” The future romance of Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin began to bubble as tensions heightened after her confession.

Ahead of the coming episodes, the production team said, “Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin are growing up strong together. Watching their relationship change due to one another is a key point to watch out for in ‘Twenty Five, Twenty One.’ Please watch with warm support to see what trials and setbacks Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin will overcome and how they will be able to narrow the distance between each other.”

The next episode of “Twenty Five, Twenty One” will air on March 12 at 9:10 p.m. KST.

Source: Soompi