i stopped watching it after ep 12 for a while since I came to know about the ending. but completing the drama healed me and broke me at the same time. the ending was way too realistic for ppl like us who are used to watching happy ever after endings. but that has a charm in it's own way even tho it broke my heart completely and I might not see any other drama for a while.

i was hooked from the start, heedo's perseverance and fighting spirit was truly commendable. kim Taeri truly resonated with her character and delivered the best possible na heedo we can ever get. heedo's break up teared me apart, she waited for her mum everytime after her dad died and eventually ended up being disappointed. yijin being a reporter like her mum would've definitely being too much for her. it pained me to see her being emotionally tired waiting her whole life, first it was her mum and her lover. nevertheless she endured it for a long time. if I was in her place, i doubt i would know what to do. but heedo made the painful decision of them breaking up rather than hopless waiting and relationship that seemed to be going nowhere. that part was really realistic.
Taeri even took fencing lessons prior to the actual filming, which made the fencing part more realistic. (she truly deserves the best actress award which she won yesterday <3 )

i won't lie, i kinda felt dislike towards yurim at the start BUT as the story progressed, i started empathising with her. she was a teenager who had to think like a adult because of her parent's financial condition. my heart broke for her when she had to make the decision of going to Russia and more so when heedo and her competed in Madrid, reuniting after a year, i cried there.

seungwan is the best character there is in 2521, I'm not even looking at any other opinions that you might have. she's a friend that you can trust your life with. she portrayed that being a top student doesn't necessarily mean that you can't rebel against your teachers when their in the wrong. and that you have to be a nerd and hang out with only "students who study well". she stole my heart when she stood up for ji woong, girl really decided to leave school when she had enough of the bullshit that her teacher had to show. i so wanna know her and yijin's brother's story.

ji woong, my baby. the baby of the group actually, more so behind the scenes. I'm so glad he went on to become a successful ceo, after the shit he had to endure in school. plus he really deserves that pretty boy title. his never changing love towards yurim made my heart flutter after what happens with heedo and yijin lmao. his banters with heedo, being platonic soulmates with seungwan, having a brotherly relationship with yijin, respect and love towards yurim, was EVERYTHING.

yijin's character made me want a matured guy lmao. his character went through a lot, from being rich to barely making ends meet & paying off debts. none of it was his fault but he had to pay the price. I liked how his character started opening up to heedo more and eventually loving her romantically. and the fact that he confessed without expecting a confession back just made my standards go higher than they already were. if I look at it, yijin and heedo's relationship might've ended differently IF they took different decisions. it revolves around the word "if" which sadly cannot change the ending of the drama.

being aware of the ending, i had prepared myself for heedo and yijin's breakup but yet I cried. there's no way i wouldn't I cry. i felt attached to them seeing them grow in their respective areas and finally becoming amazing friends and standing up for eachother, becoming eo's support. i cried so much when they had their final hug, I'm glad they atleast had that last cherishing moment.

we all have want to see fantasy-like happy ever after ending in kdramas. but we forget that the real world isnt like that at all. tho this drama had a sad ending, it was realistic as heck. it doesn't only portray that first love can be painful, but also portrays that to achieve your goals, you need to sacrifice things and never give up even though you might get stuck for a while on a particular step. "your skills don't improve drastically, it improves in steps" while that may not be the exact quote from the drama but I hope you get my point. living your dreams require efforts and if you don't work hard to achieve it, you might not make it. if heedo gave up her dream to fence, then she wouldn't have met such amazing friends and love. you experience various emotions while striving towards success but the most important thing is to live in the moment you're experiencing because nothing ever lasts forever.

the cast was AMAZING. on screen and off screen both, all of them have a good chemistry, their acting was simply fabulous <33

yeah the re-watch value is like that for me cuz I don't think I'll watch it again for years 😭