‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’: Nam Joo-hyuk Improvised One of His Character’s Most Heartbreaking Scenes
Netflix’s Twenty-Five Twenty-One Korean drama may be over, but fans can not stop talking about it. The K-drama captured the hearts of audiences with its emotional story about first loves and friendship. Actor Nam Joo-hyuk starred as the male lead Baek Yi-jin in Twenty-Five Twenty-One. Near the end of the K-drama, his character has a heartwrenching scene that Nam completely improvised on the spot.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Twenty-Five Twenty-One.]
Baek Yi-jin feels the ramifications of his career in ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’ Episode 14
By episode 14, Yi-jin is climbing his way to becoming a good news reporter. He is forced to make decisions he knows will hurt the people he cares about. When Yoo-rim’s family falls into a deeper financial burden, she makes a choice. She decides to forgo her Korean title, join the Russian fencing team, and become a citizen. Yoo-rim puts her family first despite knowing the backlash she will face.
Sadly, Yi-jin is the first to report on her decision. Yoo-rim, her family, and Hee-do watch as Korea learn their golden athlete “betrayed” them coming straight from Yi-jin. In another scene, he sits in his and Hee-do’s spot, ready to break down over what he has done. Hee-do finds him and asks if he needed to report the news.
She claims the least she could have done was not be the first. Yi-jin starts to question if Hee-do can be with him knowing what he needs to do for his career. At the end of the episode, Yoo-rim leaves Korea and Yi-jin is distraught.
As he walks through the group’s tunnel, he breaks down and starts sobbing. Fans felt Yi-jin’s gut-wrenching emotions as he believed he had betrayed his friend. He looks up and sees Hee-do, who comforts him.
Nam Joo-hyuk went with the flow when filming the emotional scene in ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’
Fans see first-hand how the emotional scene with Yi-jin was born. In a behind-the-scenes video by tvN, fans learn Nam had all the creative control over the scene in Twenty-Five Twenty-One. Along with the director and Kim Tae-ri in the tunnel, Nam asks the director how he should film the scene.
Nam cracks a few jocks as they discuss what Kim’s character should do. The director answers, “Let’s decide once we see what Yi-jin (Nam) does.” Nam suggests maybe crouching down to his knees, and the director explains it does not matter. The director confidently says they will decide how the scene should play out and follow Nam’s cue.
“We’ll go along with what you do,” said the director to the actor. The video shows exactly what they saw in the K-drama. Nam starts to tear up and look emotionally broken as he falls to his knees. Nam was not the only actor who had a creative license in the Twenty-Five Twenty-One scene.
Kim was also instructed to go with the flow and follow Nam’s lead to make for a more genuine scene. What fans saw where Hee-do cradles Yi-jin’s face and wipes his tears was all improv. The behind-the-scenes video only proves how great an actor Nam and Kim are.
Fans were heartbroken over Nam Joo-hyuk’s scene and the episode
There is no denying the K-drama had fans ugly crying in almost every episode. Twenty-Five Twenty-One Episode 14 particularly had fans heartbroken over Nam’s scene and the overall plot.
“Poor Yoo Rim, to go through such decisions at such a young age. I really feel for her! But at least she has her friends with her. Baek Yi Jin going the same route as NHD’s mother did, but this time it was for his friend and not NHD,” said one fan on Reddit.
Fans can say the episode was a major turning point for the finale episodes of the drama. A lot goes on as one fan comments, “From the car accident, Yu Rim’s decision to go to Russia, the customized list of Russian phrases, the photo booth scene, the airport scene with Ji Woong, Yi Jin’s break down in the tunnel…. I couldn’t stop the tears.”
Not only does Yi-jin’s career affect his friends, but it starts to question the strength of his and Hee-do’s relationship and love going foward. Yoo-rim leaves behind the friends she created and becomes Hee-do’s competitor.
