Here’s “Twenty Five Twenty One” Actress Kim Tae Ri’s Opinion On The Heart-Wrenching Finale

The ending was bittersweet.

The finale of tvN‘s Twenty Five Twenty One left many viewers feeling broken and bittersweet. Contrary to other K-Dramas, the love interests—Na Hee Do (played by Kim Tae Ri) and Baek Yi Jin (played by Nam Joo Hyuk)—do not end up together.

Actress Kim Tae Ri shared her opinion on the ending in a recent interview.

Regarding the finale, Kim Tae Ri believes that it was satisfying because it effectively portrayed what many first loves are like. They’re unforgettable, and more often than not, they change a person.

I thought the ending encompassed everything we expect when we think of our ‘first love’ experiences.

— Kim Tae Ri

Even after many years had passed, Hee Do and Yi Jin never forgot each other, fondly remembering the other as their first love.

Kim Tae Ri personally felt sad, but not because her character doesn’t end up with her love interest! She explained that the ending was “beautiful” despite being heart-wrenching. She also enjoyed how realistic it was.

I was really sad because [the ending] was so beautifully painful and it felt so real.

— Kim Tae Ri

Despite concluding on a heartbreaking note, Twenty Five Twenty One effectively sent the message that relationships end and people move on, yet the people we meet along the way form who we are in the present.