tvN's Saturday-Sunday drama "Twenty-Five, Twenty-One" (written by Kwon Do Eun and directed by Jung Ji Hyun) is showing an upward trend in viewership.

"Twenty-Five, Twenty-One" depicts the wandering and growth of young people whose dreams were taken away in the 1998 era. It surpassed 8% in just two episodes, and is on the verge of 10% viewership (based on 8.01% in two episodes, Nielsen Korea, paid platform). The topicality is also good. As a result of the Good Data Corporation analysis, it topped the TV drama topic category in the second week of February. Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk were also ranked first and second in the drama cast's hot topic category, respectively.

Accordingly, the production team pointed out the reason for the rise in "Twenty-Five, Twenty-One".

Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk, bright and refreshing "Youth Chemistry"

According to the production team, Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk are creating a bright and refreshing youth character by perfectly digesting 18-year-old Na Hee Do and 22-year-old Baek Yi Jin, respectively.

Kim Tae Ri realistically depicts Na Hee Do, who entered the Taeyang High School fencing team with passion and spirit without giving up although the fencing team has disbanded. Her high school team had to disband due to the IMF financial crisis that struck South Korea in the late 1990s. She is a bold person who doesn’t know how to give up.

Nam Joo Hyuk realistically depicts the hard and difficult Baek Yi Jin, who lost his dream, family, and money because of the IMF. In order to maintain his livelihood, he also works part-time at a book rental shop and as a newspaper delivery person.

The passionate performances of Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk are expected, who brought to life two young people who faced hardships and struggled to overcome the difficult times.

Director Jung Ji Hyun's directing ability to vividly express the freshness of youth

"Twenty-Five, Twenty-One" contains vivid colors that convey the freshness and purity of youth and colorful scenery that emphasizes the greenery.

Director Jung Ji Hyun tries to reproduce the 1998 time in a more realistic way.

Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin are making a video suitable for the two characters of 'youth' by pointing out points that can only be seen at that time.

Writer Kwon Do Eun's narrative that emphasizes the character's charm

"Twenty-Five, Twenty-One" sincerely depicts the journey of youth who lived in the 1998 era to find their dreams.

Writer Kwon Do Eun delicately captures possible character psychological changes and episodes that occur due to young people who are not yet mature.

The production team said, "We are happy and grateful for the viewers' response that they were cheered and comforted in a long time due to 'Twenty-Five, Twenty-One'", adding, "We ask for your continued expectations as the full-fledged youth story will continue in the third episode".

Meanwhile, The third episode of "Twenty-Five, Twenty-One" will air at 9:10 p.m. on February 19th.

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Kim Jaejoong, the famous singer and businessman, recently revealed that he was the victim of a hacking incident involving his Kakao Pay account, raising concerns about his financial safety.

On May 7, the star shared his experience with fans via the official fan platform From, explaining that his Kakao Pay account was hacked and the password was changed without his permission. As a result, Kim Jaejoong was locked out of his account and couldn’t access any of his information, which made the situation even more difficult to handle.

He expressed frustration over the customer service process, sharing that he had contacted support multiple times for help. Despite talking to a representative for over an hour, the issue wasn’t resolved. Kim Jaejoong pointed out a flaw in the system: “The hacker changed the password, so why do I, the victim, have to prove everything?”

Things only got worse when he was told he would be connected to another representative, only for it to be the same department. He admitted, “I was mentally crushed” after realizing the lack of progress. While he acknowledged that the customer service staff was working hard, he couldn’t help but feel that the system was too weak to handle such incidents.

Fortunately, after two days of struggle, the situation was finally resolved. Kim Jae Joong confirmed that his account was closed and deleted, and luckily, no financial loss occurred. “It was truly a terrifying day,” he shared, relieved that the problem was fixed.

Despite the scary experience, Kim Jaejoong continues to thrive in other areas of his career. In 2023, he co-founded iNKODE Entertainment, a company where he works as a producer and businessman. iNKODE Entertainment currently manages artists like Oh Ji Yul, Jung Si Hyun, Lee Ji Hoon, and others. Kim Jae joong also launched the 7-member girl group Say My Name last year.

Even though he’s facing challenges, Kim Jaejoong’s career remains strong, and he’s taking steps to ensure this type of situation doesn’t happen again.

Source (1)