Hee Do had reached the finals of the Asian Games in the previous episode of “Twenty Five Twenty One.” She is up for a gold medal against none other than Ko Yu Rim. It is a matter of pride for Yu Rim to win the gold medal and a dream for Hee Do. With a lot at stake, Hee Do and her archenemy, Yu Rim, are ready to give their all to this battle. Who will have the glory? Let’s find out.
See More: ‘Twenty Five Twenty One’ Episode 5 & 6: Recap And Ending – How Does Hee Do & Yi Jin Meet Again?
Why Does The Final Match Cause Controversy?
We see the first glimpse of Hee Do’s father in episode 7 of “Twenty Five Twenty One.” Hee Do started fencing because of her dad, who wanted her to have a hobby and, hence, made her attend fencing classes. Hee Do excelled in the sport in no time and fell in love with fencing. She had promised her dad she would win a gold medal, but before she could, her father passed away. After his death, Hee Do’s game only worsened to the point that she was told by everyone to quit. However, Hee Do remembered her father’s last words to her. He had told her to not play to get compliments but to play because she enjoys it and that the road to success is not smooth but rather bumpy. These words from her only supporter have kept Hee Do going on and show how much more important winning the gold medal is to her than just beating Yu Rim.
One after the other, Yu Rim and Hee Do are in a close match, each winning a point. At the decisive moment, Hee Do beats Yu Rim by one point and wins the match. Hee Do is on cloud nine, but Yu Rim is frustrated and angry. She believes she was faster and should have won the final match point. She appeals to the referee in a rage, but the decision remains unchanged. This creates a feeling of injustice in her supporters as well as the controversy that the fencing finale was unfair and that Hee Do had bribed the referee. At the press conference, both Hee Do and Yu Rim were questioned by the reporters for their take on the controversy. Both of them are still too young to face them and reply with rude answers. Hee Do takes off her gold medal and leaves the conference. What was supposed to be the happiest moment in her life became a dreadful one.
Hee Do, her fencing, and her gold medal have lost their honor. At this moment, if she needs someone the most, that would be her father. Her mother is already reading the news of her ‘Stolen Gold Medal from Yu Rim’ on TV. Both she and Yu Rim are suspended from the national team for 3 months. Yu Rim’s father comes to pick her up, and she cries in his arms while Hee Do takes the train home alone. However, she still has a supporter and a well-wisher, Baek Yi Jin. He comes looking for her, but is unable to provide any comfort. He scolds her about how she should have been calm at the conference, but all she wants to hear are words of comfort. She had heard enough criticism about herself already. Yi Jin understands it and keeps quiet. With an empty mind, Hee Do goes on her own way.
Why Is Hee Do Keeping Distance From Yi Jin?
Yi Jin feels that it is unjust that Hee Do has to go through hatred for no reason. All the news channels are giving out biased reports against Hee Do to shoot up their viewer ratings. After much effort, Yi Jin persuades the referee to grant an interview just before the referee leaves the country. He gives Hee Do a comfort that he couldn’t give earlier. Yi Jin is still new to journalism, so although impressed by what he did, his senior advises him to not bring personal emotions into his profession. Yi Jin has been making mistakes, but he has also been improving day by day.
Hee Do finds a tape of Yi Jin talking to his high school girlfriend, and that’s when it first hits her that Yi Jin also has a life of his own, and she barely knows about it. Yi Jin moves back to his old rental house in Hee Do’s neighborhood, and while helping him move in, she finds a picture of Yi Jin with his ex-girlfriend Min Young. She gets annoyed at Yi Jin and starts acting differently than usual with him. Yi Jin doesn’t understand the change in Hee Do’s behavior. She has started noticing Yi Jin and realizes that he is an adult with responsibilities. For her, making mistakes and causing problems is nothing serious, but Yi Jin always has to be careful to not make mistakes because his actions as a journalist have an impact on many people.
Even though Hee Do is a gold medalist herself, she feels that she is no one in front of Yi Jin. To add to her insecurity, her coach tells her to keep her distance from Yi Jin as he is a journalist. The joyful and powerful dynamic between her and Yi Jin seems to be fading away as both of them start excelling in their careers. Yi Jin still cares about Hee Do the same, but sometimes she misunderstands his motives because he is a journalist now. She tells him to stop treating her like a child when he pulls pranks on her. Yi Jin is still the same, but Hee Do is going through a phase of change and growth without anyone’s guidance. She doesn’t understand her feelings and how to deal with them, and it brings misery to both her and Yi Jin.
‘Twenty Five Twenty One’ Episode 8: Ending – Suffering Makes You Stronger
Ko Yu Rim comes from a family where her parents work round the clock to make ends meet. Her mom runs a small snack restaurant, and her father is a transport truck driver. Fencing is rather an expensive sport for someone like her, but she was doing well until she had a sponsor, Baek Yi Jin’s father’s company. After they went bankrupt, Yu Rim’s source of sports money was also gone. She feels terrible for putting her parents in a position where they have to sacrifice their own needs so she can play. Her frustration after losing to Hee Do was more than her pride. She has to support her family, and she can do it only if she remains a star. Everyone has a story no one knows about, and everyone suffers in their own way. The higher you go, the greater the pain of falling down.
Hee Do, a stubborn and persistent girl, hides a lot of emotions inside. After her dad passed away, she must have been through a lot. It affected her game, but it did not affect her mentality. She became stronger and more focused on achieving her dream. She faced failures and heard discouraging words from everyone, but still kept going on to finally win a gold medal. However, her suffering doesn’t end here. Even after a lot of hard work, she still can not get a good time. Just when she thinks she has had it all, everything goes away. She is being prepared for the greater good, but she doesn’t know it yet. The times are testing her only to make her stronger, but before that, she has lessons to learn.
Hee Do and Injeolmi, her internet friend, who is none other than Yu Rim, chat about the rough time they’re both going through and finally decide to meet. They have been chatting for 3 years, and it’s going to be the first time they meet. Yu Rim borrows a camera from Yi Jin to commemorate the event. When Yi Jin finds out that Yu Rim is going to meet an internet stranger, he tags along with her only to check if Yu Rim is with a safe person. Yu Rim and Hee Do both show up with a yellow rose as decided, but when Yu Rim sees Hee Do, she runs away, giving the rose in Yi Jin’s hand. Hee Do sees Yi Jin and believes that he is Injeolmi. Yi Jin has no idea what is going on but continues to play along. It is going to be difficult for Yi Jin to pretend to be Hee Do’s 3-year-old internet friend. If she finds out the truth, will it become the reason they grow further apart? Let’s find out in the next episode of “Twenty Five Twenty One.”
See More: ‘Twenty Five Twenty One’ Episode 9 & 10: Recap & Ending – Are Hee Do & Yi Jin in Love?
