Twenty Five Twenty One : An Alternate Ending

As she walked away from that tunnel with her diary in tow and a smile on her face, she rode her car and started the engine. She was meaning to go home but suddenly like her impulsive youth, she knew she had to be somewhere. She drove off swiftly.

She arrived at the lobby of a building. She asked the receptionist, “Excuse me, is Mr. Baek Yi-jin here?”

He was surprised at the call of a guest downstairs. As he approached the lobby, he woman whose body is turned away from him. He felt a familiar air of someone he knew from the past.

“Na Hee Do?”, he said.

The woman turned and faced him.

“Hi Baek Yi-jin.”, she answered.

They started a conversation.

NHD : I’m sorry for coming here without prior notice. Are you busy?

BYJ: I have to start preparing for the live news in one hour. But I have some time to spare. What brings you here?

Na Hee Do scrummaged through her bag and brought out the red diary.

NHD : I only got this today and thought I should thank you personally.

BYJ: Wait, I left it at the comic book store. You mean the owner only gave it to you now?

NHD : Yes, I guess he forgot.

BYJ: Really? He’s so forgetful.

Then he started chuckling.

NHD : What is funny?

BYJ: It’s funny because just awhile ago I had to recover a password and wrote your name as the answer.

NHD : What? (looking puzzled)

BYJ: Never mind. It’s good you finally got your diary back. I got it in the mail because my ID was on it. Thank you too for the things you wrote on it. It gave me peace before I went back to the US.

NHD : I was wondering, why didn’t you return it personally?

BYJ: I didn’t want us to fight again. Seeing you might have made it harder for me to go back to New York. But here I am again. I did not expect your mom would suggest me as her replacement.

NHD : She really believed you were a good reporter.

BYJ: I am honored. Please send her my regards. I got to thank her personally when I saw her last in the company party with other past employees. (There was a few seconds of silence). I asked her about you and learned you were divorced. I’m sorry to hear that.

NHD : Why are you sorry, it’s not your fault. It was tough but at least I have my daughter. She is now living with mom at the moment.

BYJ: Really? Your mom still leaves at the same house, am I right?

NHD : Yes the same house.

BYJ: So many memories at that house.

(There was an awkward silence)

NHD : Ah, that was too long ago. We moved on – I got more golds and got married then divorced. You are now a successful reporter. How come you never married?

BYJ: I am married… to my job. (He chuckled) It’s so hard to date with this job.

NHD : I know I remembered.

BYJ: I thought you didn’t want to bring up the past?

NHD : Well here I am to thank you for a longtime diary entry. (She paused) It is nice to see you again.

BYJ: Same here. I meant all I wrote in that diary. I wished I did some things differently.

NHD: Wow, you’re different. You are more honest and open.

BYJ: My therapist told me I should not let my emotions be bottled up inside me.

NHD : It is good you really went to a therapist. Like I said before, I understood and supported you. I too had my regrets like rushing getting married. I thought it would solve all my problems and live happily ever after. But he was a busy businessman who barely had time for family.

BYJ: Men always put providing for the family first before their personal lives.

NHD : Yes, I understand that now better.

BYJ: (Touched Heedo’s hair) You are really grown up now.

NHD : Hey, what do you mean? Stop teasing me. I am already 42 years old.

BYJ : (Laughs) I know. I am an old man myself. I found the success in my career and in bringing my parents back together. But now I have no one to share my success with so I am thinking of retiring in a few years.

NHD : Success is subjective. I won many gold medals but I did not get so lucky in love. I guess love is different than fencing. Giving your best does not always equate to winning.

BYJ: Don’t be so quick to give up on love. You coming here today means it’s the perfect time…

NHD : What? (looked with shyness and disbelief)

BYJ: The perfect time for us to become friends again. (He smiled then asked.) I don’t have work tomorrow. May I invite you for coffee?

(Na Hee Do was silent and was thinking. Finally she answered.)

NHD : Yes. I think I have some spare time tomorrow for coffee.

BYJ: Ok, let me get your number. (He hands her his phone and Hee Do types her number).

I will see you tomorrow, Hee Do. Drive safely.

(As Hee Do walks away, she suddenly smiled. The diary she unexpectedly received today made her go to this place and thank Yijin. He was different yet the same. Tomorrow is a new beginning. She was looking forward to it.)

Moving Mountains, Chasing Stars by Back YiJin

Warning : SPOILERS AHEAD for the Kdrama “Twenty Five Twenty One”

This is the second poem I wrote, the first one was Letting You Go by Na Heedo.

I just finished watching the finale of the Kdrama “Twenty Five Twenty One” and was so heartbroken. Not sure why but it felt like I had broken up with somebody as well. The love story of Na Heedo and Back Yijin was so special and to see them part ways was just painful. I am affected until now, two days after I watched it.  I figured I needed to say goodbye through writing and though of writing a poem of each of their perspectives. So here is the poem I wrote from Back YiJin’s perspective. I used some dialogue from the English subtitle and what I think he thought. This is just my interpretation and I just wrote down the scenes from memory so some sequence may not be accurate.

Back YiJin was a character with a very sad backstory but he became so happy while with Na Heedo. He was caring, gentle, responsible, but was burdened with his family problems and the things he had to do in order to be a good reporter. Nam JooHyuk was great as Back YiJin. One of the reason I watched “Twenty Five Twenty One” was because of him. I liked his character Nam DoSan in “Start-Up”.

I hope I represented what he really thought as I man thinks differently from a woman.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional poet so this poem does not adhere to any literary standard of poems.

MOVING MOUNTAINS, CHASING STARS
by Back YiJin

My youth was happy
I was young, looking forward
To a bright future ahead
I wanted to chase stars
Working at NASA was a dream

But the times were harsh
1998 took away all I had
My dreams, my family, our money
My world was upside down

Who can I turn to?
Why has this happened?
Everyday is a struggle
Making ends meet, being lonely

I grabbed every job available
I had no degree, what can I be?
A comic book store attendant
And a newspaper boy is what I am now

Fate played me a game
I broke a water fountain
A girl called me out
That was weird and awkward

I kept seeing that girl
She seemed lost but brave
I had to save her from that bar
At least a soul less miserable

This girl broke down over a comic book
I thought it was funny
I learned she wanted to be a fencer
It seems she was having a hard time

I always see her and her aura draws me
Reminds me of my youth
When I dared to dream
When my worries were nothing
To what real life really is

Then she saw it, the way they shouted
And blamed me and my family
I was ashamed, embarrassed
But she was nice, showed me somewhere

It was a school faucet
She said it made her happy
And for a moment I was
Forgot my worries, was problem-free

On that tunnel that day
She was my star
Shining so brightly on my life
I never felt that way about anyone

But she was young and I was an adult
I had to be cautious
But to my surprise I became bolder
I wanted to show her my support

We shared happy moments
As we promised we would
One day they attacked my brother
And reality set it again

I chose to run, to stay away
I left our happy bubble
Worked hard away from trouble
Still, I missed her

Checking my voicemails,
I was surprised to hear her voice
My star shining bright
Giving me hope and light

I needed to move on
Find a better opportunity for us
I loved broadcasting class
Could I be a reporter?

Found an ad of UBS
Studied hard to pass that test
Moved back to the city
Could I see her again?

We met again unexpectedly
Then she introduced me to her boyfriend
I laughed it off but deep inside
Jealousy was killing me

Being a sports reporter
Made me always see her
I cheered her from up close
Witnessed her brilliance, see her shine

She called our relationship a rainbow
For a lack of a better word
I had to always protect her
From the harshness of this world

I learned she yearned for an outing
She had never been to one
I set out a plan to make it come true
I gave that summer for you

I never shared my thoughts
But one day I had to say it
It was not rainbow but love
A word too big for her then

A new millennium was on its way
Things were changing and so was she
She was blossoming into a woman
She was bolder than I thought

I saw her lips, I didn't move
She kissed me, it felt good
But I was afraid if I could give her
What she wanted and deserved

I avoided her against my will
Listened to the world's advice
She kept coming to my door
It's so hard to fight myself

When she cried and called my name
I could no longer fight it
Had to kiss her to let her know
She was the most precious girl

I said let's try this kind of love
But what love can I offer?
What promises could I give her?
Maybe it could work, I would give it all

I never thought about hurting people
And it was painful to do so 
My job required me to
A hard pill to swallow

I had hurt Yu-rim
Would Hee-do be next?
I changed departments to protect her
But finding time for her was tougher

I kept breaking my promises
I tried to avoid giving her trouble
And I felt she hated my absence
It gave me pain to see her hurt

I thought work was getting better
But a reporter's job was tough
Seeing other people's misery
Making news out of it

I planned a vacation
To make up for lost time and celebrate
But again the times were fickle
It hurled stones at me once more

The horrors in New York
Gave me nightmares, made me weak
I wanted to keep it together
I wanted us to be together

But how can I?
I am only human
If only I could fly to see her
If only I had another job opportunity

I felt stuck between two mountains
I could neither move any of them
Maybe if I stayed silent
She would hate me and move on

I tried to avoid her still
Avoid her gaze, not to see her pain
That couple luggage was switched
Forcing me to face what I avoided

She wanted to break up
Why on this place I met her?
Again on that special tunnel
She said words that were true

My star, how can I reach you?
You were shining for the world 
I can only see your light from afar
And that may be enough for now

I saw you again with my luggage
Could I take it to say goodbye?
But I had to, we had to
I had hurt you so much

Thank you my love
You were my shining star
In my darkest nights
I was lucky to have your light

If only I had my riches
If only I can give you all you want
My time, my affection, 
But my hands are tied

I knew I could only have you for a while
But I still tried knowing it's futile
I had the privilege of knowing 
A great woman in my life, my starlight.


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Please read "Letting you go", Na HeeDo's perspective here.

Letting you go by Na Heedo

• Warning : SPOILERS AHEAD for the Kdrama “Twenty Five Twenty One”

I just finished watching the finale of the Kdrama “Twenty Five Twenty One” and was so heartbroken. Not sure why but it felt like I had broken up with somebody as well. The love story of Na Heedo and Back Yijin was so special and to see them part ways was just painful. I am affected until now, two days after I watched it. I figured I needed to say goodbye through writing and though of writing a poem of each of their perspectives. So here is the poem I wrote from Na Heedo’s perspective. I used some dialogue from the English subtitle and what I think she thought. This is just my interpretation and I just wrote down the scenes from memory so some sequence may not be accurate.

Na Heedo was a really lovable character – bubbly, spirited, strong-willed and Kim Taeri gave a brilliant performance. It thought she was in her early 20s but she is 31 years old, so it was pure genius how she gave life to an 18 year old girl.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional poet so this poem does not adhere to any literary standard of poems.

LETTING YOU GO by Na Heedo

You broke our water fountain
But you saved me on that bar
Our paths always crossing
Until you saw me cry over that comic book

Then I saw you that night
Your tears pierced my heart
You said you will never be happy
But why? You were young

I know that feeling
Of having no one 
Of being alone
Of wanting to cry 
But having to be strong

So I decided on that day
To put a smile on your face
That maybe we can be allies
In our loneliness

It was great to experience
That first faucet waterfalls with you
To share my simple joys 
To shed some light

Day by day our friendship grew
I found myself always wanting to see you
You made an effort to see me too
Suddenly the world was better

My dream was coming true
You say the nicest words
One day you disappeared
But I knew you had to take care of things

I sent a voice message
And so did you
Glad to know my support has reached you
You promised you'd be back
And I held on to that

Then it happened
We met again unexpectedly 
It was funny you met my boyfriend
I wanted to experience love
But I was not ready

I was confused when you reappeared
So I broke up with him
Our friendship resumed
I became friends with Yu-rim

Life became fuller as I had more friends
Our group adventures were funny
I found people to lean on
So did you or so I thought

Your new job was stressful
But you never shared it
I guess you thought I was too young
To even understand it

I won a prize but people questioned
You found me and found a way
To redeem my reputation
Thanks to you I had a rainbow
My ray of light after a storm

We worked together
On a documentary show
It was nice of you to think
Of an outing for us all

That summer was special
One of the best days of my life
We were young, life was joyful
We claimed that summer was ours

I was surprised when you told me
What we had was not a rainbow
It was love for you
But was it love for me too?

Times were changing
A new millennium on its way
Seungwan and Yeji moved on
I felt I had to do the same

I thought about what I wanted
To do on that New Year
I saw your face and knew
It was you I wanted

You avoided me and it hurts
I kept coming to your door
Your were afraid to hurt me
But why don't we try to make it work?

It felt right when you kissed me
We were happy and free
The world knew our love
And I was also winning games

It was sad when Yu-rim left
I hated you for exposing her
But it was what you had to do too
You never told me anything about work

Yu-rim was far away and you were near
Physically close but sparsely there
The waiting game was killing me
I felt like that child waiting for mom

Longing for time, seeking attention
Mom had to ask it, if it was okay
If the man I would marry be like her too
I said yes, but was it true?

New Year came and I was glad
To see you work and be together
You led me to that city view
You turned 25, I turned 21
We were so in love

I held on to your promise that new year
That we would at least be there
Together every year
I tried to believe it, to hold on to it

We planned a trip 
Maybe it would make us closer
But there was a shattering event 
There was news you needed to cover

It reminded me of when mom
Missed dad's funeral again
Though you left a cake and letter
Maybe our destiny would be different

I missed you and saw you on tv
Days turned into months
You were barely responding
Did I still have a boyfriend?

That new year promise
Was not fulfilled
There alone I stood wondering
What became of your love

My games kept me busy
Then my mom had to say me
You applied for New York
Was it too hard to tell me?

We were barely talking
Until you said it yourself
That you will work in New York
I was numb at that point

You said you will be back
To wrap up things in Korea
Was I part of that plan?
Would our schedules meet?

You grabbed my luggage by mistake
I thought it was ironic
That couple luggage made us meet again
But you just left it outside our door

Why couldn't you even come inside to see me?
Were you too busy or was I a stranger?
So I fumed and asked for a breakup
Even if it was half-meant

When could we talk about it?
Why do you avoid it?
I brought things out on that tunnel
Thoughts in my mind though it hurts

I love you and what we had
Yet we are no longer the same
I want an honest conversation
I no longer know your situation

I knew you needed that job
I was busy and so are you
Our love was good while it lasted
It was hard to say goodbye

I ran fast as I learned you were leaving
I had to at least see you go
To see your face, to touch your hand
I was lucky to get an embrace

Goodbye my first love
I didn't know it would hurt this bad
When I still want you
But I cannot have you
Maybe a fleeting moment was all we really had.

P.S.

Also created a poem on Back YiJin’s perspective “Moving Mountain, Chasing Stars”