‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’: Yi-jin Might Not Be Min-chae’s Father, Based on These Theories
There is a brewing mystery in Netflix‘s Twenty-Five Twenty-One that fans want to unfold about Baek Yi-jin. The Korean drama chronicles the story of fencing prodigy Na Hee-do from 1998 up to the present day. The K-drama storyline promises a life adventure and a possible romance between Hee-do and Yi-jin. Hee-do’s story is told through her daughter Min-chae reading Hee-do’s diary.
With the promise of a romance, fans wonder who Min-chae’s father is. He is still an allusive character, but Twenty-Five Twenty-One theories give a clearer picture of whether or not it is Yi-jin.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Twenty-Five Twenty-One.]
Hee-do and Yi-jin form a bond in ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’
The Netflix K-drama focuses on the growing bond between its two leading characters. Hee-do’s fencing team disbands after the IMF crisis while Yi-jin’s family files for bankruptcy. They meet one calm morning until Yi-jin accidentally flings a newspaper breaking Hee-do’s statue.
They meet again when Yi-jin works part-time at Hee-do’s local comic shop. The two characters form a friendship as they deal with the curveballs life throws at them. They promise to uplift each other and be happy when together.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One teases a romance between the two characters based on trailers and the storyline. But there is a mystery. Presently, Hee-do is all grown up and has a daughter named Min-chae. While at her grandmother’s house, Min-chae discovers her mother’s diary and learns more about her teen years.
Fans are confused about whether Yi-jin is Min-chae’s father. Her father has not made an appearance. Only small details about him have been revealed. As the K-drama chronicles the ups and downs of Hee-do’s life, fan theories suggest Yi-jin and Hee-do did have a romance but might not have lasted in Twenty-Five Twenty-One.
Min-chae does not recgonize Yi-jin’s name in ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’
When Min-chae starts to read her mother’s diary, the pieces of the puzzle are put into place for her. She learns about Yi-jin and assumes he might have been her mother’s ex-boyfriend. When she finds a photo of the main characters, she asks her grandmother who Yi-jin is. She had no idea what he looked like. It debunks fan theories that Yi-jin is her father in Twenty-Five Twenty-One.
“It’s shown that Min-chae knows her father and that he is present in her life. Up until reading her mom’s diary, it seems she didn’t know Yi-jin at all. Unless Yi-jin completely changed his face and identity, I don’t see how Min-chae would not recognize her own father,” said a fan on Reddit.
The assumption does help prove the theory about Yi-jin and Hee-do’s relationship. They likely did not stay together as adults. When Hee-do sees the photo, she smiles fondly while speaking about him. She is surprised when her mother says she met Yi-jin last month.
Some fans still hold on to the possibility of them being together, with one fan saying, “My own delusional theory is that he changed his name.” He was targeted by loan sharks in the K-drama after the IMF crisis. It could be that Min-chae knows her father under a different name. The fan theory runs a little thin.
Fans speculate Min-chae’s father is a news correspondent
Twenty-Five Twenty-One Episode 7 furthers the mystery of whether Yi-jin is the father. In the present day, Min-chae is given a gift from her father. It is a ballet costume, and Min-chae asks her mother if her father knows she quit ballet. Hee-do tells her daughter she should tell him himself.
Fans piqued interest when Min-chae asks when her father will return, and Hee-do says it is difficult because of the quarantine mandate.
“They’re really teasing us on who the father is. He’s alive but doesn’t seem to really be involved in his daughter’s life. I wonder if he and Hee-do are divorced,” speculated one fan. The subtle clues are theorizing that Yi-jin might not be the father.
But some fans believe Min-chae’s father works overseas as a news correspondent, explaining him not being in Korea. In Twenty-Five Twenty-One, Yi-jin becomes a broadcaster at the same network Hee-do’s mother works for. Some fans’ theories say Min-chae’s father works abroad for NASA, also Yi-jin’s dream.
