Get to Know the Cast of K-Drama ‘Twenty Five, Twenty One’ and Where You’ve Seen Them

Kim Tae-ri

Who is she in Twenty Five, Twenty One? She plays Na Hee-do, a young fencing prodigy who has been stuck in a rut for quite some time now. Hee-do idolizes Go Yoo-rim and wants to be her rival. In fact, she transfers to Yoo-rim’s school just to train and compete with her.

Where have you seen her? Kim Tae-ri gained critical prominence after her performance in The Handmaiden (2016), where she played a pickpocket-turned-maid in Japanese-occupied Korea. She also starred as the badass noble young lady Ae-shin in drama series Mr Sunshine (2018). Her latest work is in the Netflix sci-fi action film Space Sweepers (2021), alongside Song Joong-ki.

Nam Joo-hyuk

Who is he in Twenty Five, Twenty One? He plays Baek Yi-jin, a young man whose life changed overnight after his wealthy family went bankrupt due to the IMF crisis. He starts living on his own and takes up several odd jobs to rebuild his life and get his family back together.

Where have you seen him? Every Korean drama fan knows Nam Joo-hyuk starred in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016), even if you’ve never seen it. But before he played Lee Sung-kyung’s swimmer boyfriend in WFKBJ, he starred Who Are You: School 2015 as another swimmer (and also the lead love interest!) and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo as one of the many handsome Goryeo princes. Most recently, he played Nam Do-san in Start-Up.

Bona

Who is she in Twenty Five, Twenty One? She plays Go Yoo-rim, a high school student who became an Olympic gold medalist in fencing for South Korea. When Hee-do joins her high school fencing club, Yoo-rim instantly becomes hostile against Hee-do, recognizing her new teammate as the fencing prodigy who defeated her when they were children.

Where have you seen her? WJSN member Bona (born as Kim Ji-yeon) made her debut as an actress playing an idol in Hit the Top. She later starred in Girls’ Generation 1979, Radio Romance, Your House Helper, and Homemade Love Story.

Choi Hyun-wook

Who is he in Twenty Five, Twenty One? He plays Moon Ji-woong, the resident cool and pretty boy of the class who used to dance but now plays in a band with some of his friends. He is best friends with Ji Seung-wan and is in Hee-do and Yoo-rim’s class, though he rarely sees the fencers due to their training schedule. Whenever he does though, he does his best to make a good impression on Yoo-rim, on whom he has a very strong and very obvious crush.

Where have you seen him? Choi Hyun-wook only made his debut in 2021, but he has been involved in dramas with big names, such as Jirisan starring Jun Ji-hyun and Ju Ji-hoon and Taxi Driver starring Lee Je-hoon. He was also one of the Racket Boys as Na Woo-chan, who is part of the small badminton club in Haenam Seo Middle School.

Lee Joo-myung

Who is she in Twenty Five, Twenty One? She plays Ji Seung-wan, Hee-do’s new friend and classmate and also their class president. At home, her mother rents out a room to Yi-jin, who she belatedly recognizes as a sunbae (or a senior) in her high school. Seung-wan tries her best to make it up to Yi-jin as his junior after she briefly treated him snobbishly.

Where have you seen her? Lee Joo-myung’s filmography might not be as extensive as the others, but you might’ve spotted her in her cameo role in the first episode of Hospital Playlist. She also starred in several music videos, including rappers Mino’s “Tang!♡” and Loco’s “Summer Go Loco.”

Kim Hye-eun

Who is she in Twenty Five, Twenty One? She plays Yang Chan-mi, the fencing coach in Hee-do’s new school. She also trains Hee-do personally after Hee-do begged her and promised to follow whatever routine she gives.

Where have you seen her? Kim Hye-eun has a long history of playing supporting roles in various Korean dramas, so you might easily recognize her. She was in Itaewon Class as Jang-ga Group’s executive director and Park Sae-ro-yi’s father’s close friend, Radio Romance as a radio program writer, and in Encounter as Park Bo-gum’s boss. Kim Hye-eun also made a brief appearance in the Mr. Sunshine, where Kim Tae-ri starred.

Seo Jae-hee

Who is she in Twenty Five, Twenty One? She plays Shin Jae-kyung, Hee-do’s mother who works as a prominent news anchor. She knows Hee-do’s new coach Yang Chan-mi.

Where have you seen her? You might remember Seo Jae-hee as the professor of Yoo Na-bi and her sculpting classmates in Nevertheless. She was also in the Kim Soo-hyun-fronted One Ordinary Day, where she played lawyer Park Mi-kyeong.

Choi Myung-bin

Who is she in Twenty Five, Twenty One? She plays Kim Min-chae, Hee-do’s daughter in the present day. She dances ballet, but during a competition, she suddenly quit and ran away to her grandmother’s house. There, Min-chae finds her mother’s diary about her teenage years.

Where have you seen her? Choi Myung-bin has played many younger version roles in Korean dramas, including Suspicious Partner, 100 Days My Prince, and Itaewon Class. Most recently, she played the young versions of fraternal twins Lee Hwi and Dam-yi in The King’s Affection (yes, she played both male and female roles — and the roles of a male pretending to be female and a female pretending to be male).

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