Actress Kim Tae-ri has shared what she learned through her latest TV series on cable channel tvN, "Twenty-Five, Twenty-One," which ended on Sunday.
As lively in person as her character is on screen, Kim said the series vividly depicts the coming-of-age process and the bittersweet journey into adulthood.
"It showed what we are forced to realize, give up, take care of and overcome, and [that we must] eventually accept the reality of adult life, striking chords with many viewers" who have already gone through it, she said.
The romance series tells the story of a fencer who toils her way into the national team and a young man who struggles to survive after his family goes bankrupt amid a financial crisis in the late 1990s, forcing him to drop out of college, but who works his way to become a news reporter.
They encourage each other to overcome their difficulties and cherish the happy moments along their journey, but end up breaking up as their busy adult life causes them to become estranged.
Kim is an optimist just like her character in the drama, who gets up even if she falls, saying, "There is no absolute tragedy or comedy. But I hope there will be more comedies on the road before us."
"After learning of its ending, I hoped the [sad] ending would change because it left me sad, too. But I think even going through that is a growth process," she said. "I learned the value of endurance [through the series]. All you have to do is to endure."
Kim had a message for her young peers today. "I know how great it can be if you can just hang in there when you go through difficulties. I'm rooting for you," Kim said.
