“I Love You, Mum”
Yi-Jin and Hee-Do are down on the beach today, messing around. It’s the final day before Yi-Jin heads home with the others.
Ji-Woong and Yi-Jin take some photos of themselves with coins on the phone. Ji-Woong notices that Hee-Do admires the photos, and they all laugh.
Coach Yang is back to training and things are returning to normal with the suspension of Hee-Do and Yu-Rim. Ji-Woong invites Yu-Rim to his concert, but she declines. ..
Yu-Rim, who knew Hee-Do from before the tournament, got upset when she saw her doing poorly. Yu-Rim wanted her to do well and after winning all those gold medals, she admits she’s still scared of Hee-Do, given her fiery tenacity and talent. ..
That night, Hee-Do and Yi-Jin head out for dinner together, celebrating Yi-Jin becoming a reporter. The pair discuss memories, with Yi-Jin teasing her about her scruffy appearance and not looking at his business card properly.
Yi-Jin’s promotion comes with its own set of privileges, including the other reporters being nice to him and, of course, giving him the responsibility of sorting out the documentary. ..
When Yi-Jin arrives at the restaurant that night for the team dinner, Hee-Do’s mother is there, trying to sober up outside. Yi-Jin hands over a drink to Jae-Kyung, intending to try and help her out. Jae-Kyung takes the drink and walks away. ..
The pair talk about dreams, with Yi0Jin admitting that becoming a sports reporter isn’t his dream but he just wants to do a good job. Yi0Jin tells the interviewer that he has always loved writing and that it is something that has been in his heart for a long time. He says that he is not sure if he wants to be a sports reporter but he just wants to do his best and make sure that the information given is accurate.
Jae-Kyung is a mother of two and has a date with her daughter scheduled for later tonight. However, she needs to report breaking news across Korea in order to fulfill her professional obligations. ..
She delivers the news about an escaped convict, Chang-Won. She does so with confidence and restraint, despite being drunk. Yi-Jin is impressed. ..
Since then, the two have been unable to communicate effectively and their relationship has deteriorated.
Jae-Kyung was not forced to do this though, she offered to do it herself, wanting to prove herself and, I guess, not allow herself to be consumed by her depressive thoughts. Jae-Kyung has been full of resentment since then, but continues to choose her career over her family.
That night, Yi-Jin manages to bring Hee-Do and Yu-Rim along to Ji-Woong’s concert. Yi-Jin shows up backstage and begins questioning their playing but somehow manages to bag himself a spot on stage playing an encore with them. And the song? One of the absolute bangers from the soundtrack, Starlight.
Yi-Jin locks eyes with Hee-Do, who looks at him in a different light. She sees the boy whose tapes she listened to the whole time she was training and heads backstage, beaming from ear to ear. She actually convinces him to do a broadcast for the radio too, just like old times.
Ji-Woong, the MC, makes a big speech on stage. He looks directly at Yu-Rim and mouths the words “Yu-Rim, I like you. Will you go out with me?” She nods back. When Hee-Do finds out, she’s pretty shocked but also delighted, as the group head up to the rooftop and watch the fireworks. ..
The chairs that Hee-Do’s father used are a continuing issue in the episode. This is something that we saw earlier on in the episode and when Hee-Do moved them during the storm, they broke. ..
Although Hee-Do believed Jae-Kyung threw them out, in reality she actually took them to get fixed up. When Hee-Do finds out, she looks at her mother in a different light.
Jae-Kyung and Hee-Do visit their father’s gravestone at the end of their visit. Jae-Kyung breaks down in tears as she admits how much she misses her father. Hee-Do starts crying too.
This is a really beautiful moment and the montage that ensues aftershows just how a rift there’s been between the two characters all season long.
Jae-Kyung finally opens up to her family and friends about her past, and Hee-Do starts to warm to her too. We follow their story as they hold hands, with Min-Chae watching on. “I love you Mum” fades us to black as we enter the present day.
The Episode Review
The show does a great job of exploring the complicated emotions that come with being a teenager, and Hee-Do and Jae-Kyung’s relationship is one of the most interesting and well-developed in the show. It’s also very touching, as Hee-Do struggles to come to terms with her feelings for her son while he struggles with his own.
Jae-Kyung’s breakdown at the end of the episode was a poignant moment, while Yi-Jin’s drunken encounter outside the restaurant showed where her values lie. ..
The reunion of Ji-Woong and Yu-Rim is a great moment for the show, managing to show off the teenage romance angle and doing it in a sweet and tender way.
The show has been well written and Twenty Five Twenty One has certainly grown into its storyline. The storyline is strong and one of the best in 2022.
