The Beach Trip
Episode 10 of Twenty Five Twenty One begins with Min-Chae sporting a bruise across her foot. When her mother sees, Hee-Do worries and tells her she needs to get this checked out. It’s something that resonates back with her own past and, specifically, how she hurt her ankle. Min-Chae’s injury is a reminder of how she hurt herself in the past. Specifically, Hee-Do recalls how she injured her ankle while playing soccer. This incident caused her great pain and left her feeling frustrated and embarrassed. ..
This confession from Yi-Jin and Hee-Do provides a unique insight into their relationship. In reply, Hee-Do tells Yi-Jin that her feelings aren’t that big right now. She’s not sure how she feels but it doesn’t dissuade Yi-Jin, who gushes over Hee-Do. She has a big smile on her face, as Hee-Do feels like the pieces of her life are just starting to come together now.
Yi-Jin’s happiness is short-lived when he heads to work. His fall-out with the Director is big news and there’s still tension between them. Yi-Jin swallows his pride though and apologizes to his superior in front of the team. Eventually they head outside where he grills Yi-Jin, calling him a useless idiot. Yi-Jin takes it on the chin and tries his best to deal with this hardship.
Yi-Jin tells his father that he was the best prize that helped him through his hardships all those years of grafting and working hard.
Yu-Rim’s dad returns from his work and gives his daughter a new gift – a CD player. K-drama enthusiasts will undoubtedly have been as nervous as me watching him in a truck (truck of doom trope incoming!) but he makes it back in one piece.
The family’s financial situation has gotten worse recently, and Yu-Rim is worried about it. Ji-Woong, though hesitant to broach the topic with her, is also worried about the consequences. They talk about it and Ji-Woong eventually asks out a friend.
At school, Ji-Woong is caned for showing up at school after-hours, catching the cushion thief in the process. Seung-Wan is disgusted by what she’s seen and after sticking up for her friend, vents her thoughts about how school needs to be reformed online. Funnily enough, it’s Yi-Hyun who happens to be listening to this broadcast, and he clings to her words as she compares school to prison.
Our main characters all head across a beach trip together, solidifying their relationships and allowing some crucial development to come through for our supporting characters. With Yi-Jin driving, Seung-Wan, Ji-Woong, Hee-Doo and Yu-Rim all head off together. When they arrive to see Yi-Jin’s family, Yu-Jin introduces Hee-Do as a gold medal winner, which is such a nice moment for her character.
Seung-Wan meets her admirer, Yi-Hyun, while she’s in Seoul. After shaking his hand, she decides that she can wait for him and walks away, leaving him with a big smile on his face.
As the kids enjoy the time down on the beach, they eventually throw Yi-Jin in the water. It’s a really nice, feel-good moment and as all the kids are splashing around and having fun, Hee-Do and Yi-Jin whisper together on the beach, deciding to get a drink together. It’s an interesting scene too because it appears to be foreshadowing how Hee-Do is going to grow apart from the others later on in life.
After weeks of ups and downs, it’s nice to get some slice-of-life drama. Everything from showering (with budding bromance between Ji-Woong and Yi-Jin) and making food through to phoning home. ..
Ji-Woong’s mother is upset when she hears from her son that he got a C on his math test. Ji-Woong calmly tells her it won’t happen again and changes the subject to ask if she slept okay. The others are uncomfortable with this conversation, but Ji-Woong explains that his parents are divorced. ..
This allows for everyone to open up about what they’re going through, with Yu-Rim open about her financial woes and Hee-Do mentioning how her father has passed away. The latter’s story even seems to upset Ji-Woong.
As the gang enjoys their summer memories, they are also mindful of the restrictions that come with them. While in the present, Hee-Do discusses her past and how it has influenced her current lifestyle. However, in the past scene on the beach, we see all of the kids watching the horizon and it is a perfect way to close out this chapter.
The Episode Review
This week’s episode of Twenty Five Twenty One, “Slow Down,” focuses on the beauty of spending time with friends and making memories that will last a lifetime. The majority of the episode is dedicated to the slice-of-life drama inherent in shows like Reply 1988, rather than the sport drama or romantic vibes that set the first batch of episodes ablaze. ..
This episode was great because it showed Ji-Woong, the main character, in a good light. He wasn’t just a kid who wanted to date Yu-Rim and mess about in school; he was a genuinely good-natured and selfless kid. While being grilled by his mum he had enough wherewithal to ask how she was and whether she’s sleeping okay. This little touch helped to grow even the minor characters.
The major players in this drama seem to be growing closer together, even if their love isn’t quite there yet. It’s actually quite surprising to find a drama like this take such a mature and realistic approach to love, rather than just diving head-first into portraying their romance.
The episode has some great moments but as we’ve seen from the present scenes, something has changed drastically over the years. What could it be? We’ll have to wait to find out!
