Na Hee-do and Baek Hae-jin: they met when they needed each other the most

Baek Hae-jin and Na Hee-do's love didn't need a traditional happily ever after to be meaningful. In this video, I lay out my argument for why 2521 had the perfect ending. #twentyfivetwentyone
00:00 - Intro
02:11 - They Met When They Needed Each Other the Most
04:29 - The Story of Youth Is Meant to Be Nostalgic
06:52 - The Greatest Love of Na Hee-do's Life was Go Yu-rim
08:18 - This Love Isn't Supporting Me Any More
10:45 - Choosing Divergent Paths to Fulfilment
12:16 - It Was a Choice Not a Tragedy
✩ s o c i a l s ✩
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✩ p o d c a s t ✩
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[@egads4519]

I agree with everything you said. The drama was very clearly going in this direction from the very beginning, and I was pleasantly surprised that the writer neither TODed Bae Hae-jin, nor gave in to a clamor for a HEA for the romance. I'm glad they stayed true to the vision of telling a realistic ending for a youthful love story instead of a fairytale type ending because I wish more media would show that a breakup doesn't doom people to a bitter lonely life of pining and regrets.
You're also correct that the real romance here was between Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim. They're story had so many of the traditional romantic beats and I sometimes found myself half hoping that maybe the drama would go there. But alas, South Korea is not quite ready for that.
I had a lot more thoughts about the way this drama ended well, and I know others did as well. You are not alone.

[@TheDramaNotes]

Good to know, egads. XD The ending left so many fans unhappy that it was hard to find anyone who agreed with me on this. The flow of the story is damn near perfect. And you could tell that for once they had a script that was fully developed before they ever started shooting. This was not a show where scenes were being scrapped and written according to audience response.
I didn't really expect any real romantic feelings between Hee-do and Yu-rim (for the reasons you pointed out), but I did appreciate how they showed the intensity of feelings when you idolize and want to befriend someone of your own age. I remember that feeling and how much it motivated me to better myself. And I'm always grateful for dramas that depict rivalry between women that has nothing to do with a man. Sigh. Such good stuff! 💛

[@DigthatDollDeep]

your words are just perfect .... about what i was feeling back ... depressed for several days ... and so on with others like that too

[@TheDramaNotes]

Thank you. Yeah the ending stayed with me for a long time. Sometimes making me sad and sometimes making me look back at their days of young love with sweet nostalgia. 😆 Probably exactly how the show intended.

[@nikklaus2773]

After " It's okay to not to be okay " ... this is my favorite kdrama of all time.

[@TheDramaNotes]

I get why. It's got the same feeling of full humans living complete lives full of strife and pathos and yet finding a way to be happy and experience love. 💚

[@MonicaGonzalezmonica]

Since episode one we knew they werent together, but we ingored it because we loved the drama

[@TheDramaNotes]

Their chemistry and bond felt too strong for it to end. 😄 But the drama had been totally honest from the start, which you gotta love.

[@sancharipratihar1858]

Wow..I loved the way you summed it up... exactly my thoughts while watching this show. May be I am among the very few people who loved the ending and was not surprised to the fact that they didn't end up together because from the very first episode there were too many factors indicating that they are not together in the present day. The writers stayed true to their vision till the last episode. The story was all about a part of Heedo's life where she had the best friendships , a passionate love and the period which made her "The Fencer Na Heedo". The time when she dared to say that things would last forever...but eventually they didn't and it's life, it's reality...but what matters is that she had it at one point of her life and it was beautiful, it is memorable and she will always cherish it for the rest of her life. This show is definitely the best kdrama that I have watched till date. The way Nam Joo Hyuk and Kim Taeri played their roles is insanely beautiful... I am glad Nam Joo Hyuk was chosen to play Yijin...he has literally lived the character and made it so real..Baek Yijin is the new standard now 😭❤️

[@TheDramaNotes]

Exactly how I feel. Even though it didn't last, what mattered was that they had that period of life together and it formed the core of the people they became later on. 💚☺️
Hard agree about Nam Joo-hyuk. So happy to see him cast in a character that fit him so perfectly. Also tremendously impressed by Kim Tae-ri. ✨

[@maismaikhemprai9312]

While it did hurt me to see this ship sink, it didn’t really sink in the ways that it mattered. They needed each other at a certain moment in time to grow and then in time they just grew apart and that’s completely understandable. As the drama beautifully portrays the different kinds of love that Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin feel for one another throughout its entirety, the writers’ decision to not have them end up together packs an even harder punch. They loved each other as friends, as lovers, and at the end as a beautiful reminder of their fleeting youths, as a memory which is deeply rooted in respect, admiration and appreciation.
Yes, I would’ve liked the drama more if they ended up together, I’m a sucker for happy endings, but I also really respect the choices the writers made with this series. The drama itself was so heartwarming and bittersweet and sad at the same time, much like our own youths, that it’s hardly possible to dislike the ending.

[@TheDramaNotes]

Exactly. If you see the story as entire lives lived as fully as possible, then it's hard to dislike the way the drama ends. 🙂