With winter comes closure. Sometimes, it means achieving a long-held dream. And at others, it means bidding farewell to someone dear. Our leads vowed to stay together until death do them part. And now, our heroine resolves to stay strong until the day comes when she sees her late husband again.
If he could have his way, our male lead would stay with his dear wife forever. But till his last breath, she was always his priority. They led a happy life together. But now, it is a beautiful memory our heroine keeps engraved in her heart.
- Main Leads: Lee Ji-eun (IU) | Park Bo-gum | Moon So-ri | Park Hae-joon
- Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: Reply 1988 | Our Blues |
Bunny S. watches When Life Gives You Tangerines on Netflix
Episode Recaps: 01 – 04 | 05 – 08 | 09 – 12 | Finale Week Review + Series Review
When Life Gives You Tangerines Finale Week Recap
“Every time I walked the tightrope, my dad stood there holding the net.”
Opening the finale week, Eun-myeong and his wife are celebrating their son’s first birthday along with Eun-myeong’s family. The wife’s family has cut her off. Though her mother drops by to see her grandson in secret. Irritated by Eun-myeong’s unemployed status, even though he now has a family to support, Gwan-sik scolds him, urging Eun-myeong to get a job or work on the boat with him. But Eun-myeong argues he won’t live like his father and will hit it big.
Unfortunately, in the wake of the IMF crisis, Geum-myeong loses her job. She keeps going to job interviews but to no avail. Passing by the theatre, she gets reminded of the old days and decides to watch a movie for one last time since the theatre is about to be shut down. Chung-seob happens to be there, too. But it isn’t a coincidence. He has been dropping by every day, hoping to run into her.
Chung-seob’s persistence pays off, and he gets to meet Geum-myeong. Funnily enough, he misses her again and has to run with all his might after the bus she is riding. Luckily, this time, he catches up with the bus. Sitting across from her, Chung-seob can’t believe his eyes and keeps staring at Geum-myeong. Thus making her blush. The mood is awkward, and Chung-seob is stammering. But then, he works up the courage to confess that he has had feelings for her since the days when she carried her books.
Just like that, Geum-myeong’s second chapter of love kicks off. It wasn’t of a different size but of a different temperature than her first love, one that allowed her to be herself without any worries. After dating for a while, Geum-myeong suggests they meet her family. Moved by how Chung-seob’s mother cherishes Geum-myeong, Ae-sun is won over. But getting Gwan-sik’s approval proved quite hard.
Jealous of the man who came to “steal” his daughter, Gwan-sik gives Chung-seob a hard time. Clueless about how to win Gwan-sik over, Chung-seob sits there rigidly. Still, with his sincerity and genuine love for Geum-myeong, Gwan-sik comes to accept him as his son-in-law. Though he had fun teasing Chung-seob and pretending to dislike him.
The wedding day comes, and Geum-myeong looks stunning. In an unexpected yet unsurprising move, Yeong-beom drops by to keep his promise to see Geum-myeong in a wedding dress. However, he can’t bring himself to get out of his car and just leaves. Which is the last we see of him.
For all the fuss she made about not wanting her parents to cry, Geum-myeong bawls her eyes out. Gwan-sik never told Geum-myeong to come in first or to surpass others, endlessly assuring her he would always be there for her and to run to him if things turned difficult. Thus giving her his ultimate support without pressuring her. This time, too, Gwan-sik tells Geum-myeong to run to him if Chung-seob annoys her. Hearing those assuring words, she starts sobbing and stops midway down the aisle, and Chung-seob has to go to her.
Picturing Geum-myeong in all her life phases from a little kid to a young adult in the wedding dress, Gwan-sik tears up, barely composing himself to give Geum-myeong and Chung-seob his blessing. Eun-myeong cries his eyes out, too. And honestly, we were a crying mess during this scene.
“It is better not to love at all. Getting less love is so unfair.”
On their way back from Geum-myeong’s wedding, a tragedy hits our leads. Eun-myeong gets arrested by the police on charges of committing fraud. Together with his friend, Eun-myeong co-opened a pawnshop. But that friend ran away after stealing other people’s belongings. And now, Eun-myeong has to reimburse the clients for the stolen items or else go to jail.
The drama has been dropping snippets that Eun-myeong feels dejected because his parents favor his sister and deem him a troublemaker from whom they expect nothing. Being a high achiever, Geum-myeong always stole the spotlight, earning her unconditional support from Ae-sun and Gwan-sik. But when it came to Eun-myeong, they belittled his dreams and never gave him the same care they gave his sister. When they visit him in the detention center, Eun-myeong lets out his pent-up emotions and calls his parents out on their discrimination.
Having lost their youngest son shortly after Eun-myeong’s birthday, our leads didn’t have the heart to celebrate Eun-myeong’s birthday the next year. Which left him sad. Why would his parents celebrate his sister’s birthday and ignore his? (We later learn that Gwan-sik treated Eun-myeong to a meal on his birthday and secretly got him birthday gifts to make it up to him.)
Everyone kept telling Eun-myeong to behave and work hard at school for his parents’ sake. But even when his grades increased by 10 ranks, all his parents could think about was Geum-myeong coming in second after getting only one question wrong. While Geum-myeong got a decent lunch daily, Eun-myeong only got leftovers. Even when he threw a fit about it, his parents couldn’t realize how hurt Eun-myeong was. And now their favoritism comes back to bite them when they least expected it.
Though late, our leads realize how much they hurt their son, scrambling to get him released. Taking after her mother’s fiery temper, Ae-sun pulls the swindler’s mother’s hair and doesn’t let go until she chips in the settlement money. While Gwan-sik puts his boat up for sale after failing to get a loan.
For 20 years, Gwan-sik would get up at dawn and set sail to catch fish and provide for his family. Through working on that boat, Gwan-sik could raise his children. So saying goodbye to all those memories gnawed at Gwan-sik’s heart. Still, to him, Eun-myeong is more precious than anything.
Having settled with the victims, Eun-myeong is set free. Hearing of what his father did, Eun-myeong bawls his eyes out, vowing to work hard and get his father his boat back. Without a boat to work on or fish to sell, Gwan-sik delivers ice at the market while Ae-sun fillets squid for a living. It is strenuous work, but our leads can endure it since they have each other.
With no one willing to hire him, Eun-myeong sells rice cakes and snacks at night. But he can barely make any money. To support his son, Gwan-sik secretly gives out money to the villagers to buy snacks from Eun-myeong. At first, it works. But Eun-myeong soon catches on. And who wouldn’t when people keep telling him to be good to his father?
Ashamed, Eun-myeong gets a job on a deep-sea fishing vessel. But the thing is: he went in secret, so his family almost lost their minds worrying about him. Hearing her son went to the sea, Ae-sun was on pins and needles. What if Eun-myeong drowns too? She heads to the docks but can barely walk. Rushing over, Gwan-sik asks the captain to turn around. But the captain scorns him. Surprisingly, Eun-myeong’s father-in-law (the former suitor) steps up, offering the captain double the gas price to get him to turn around.
Reunited with his son, Gwan-sik can finally breathe, scolding Eun-myeong for taking on such a perilous job. Yet, Eun-myeong argues Gwan-sik worked as a fisherman too. So, why can’t he? Catching up with them mid-fight, Ae-sun hits Eun-myeong for giving her such a scare. After fighting it out, they head home safely. Also, Gwan-sik helps Eun-myeong get a job. So, it all ends well.
Though he pretended not to care, Eun-myeong’s father-in-law bribed the chief detective to catch the swindler, arguing that settling the case is the same as admitting that Eun-myeong is a thief, although he is innocent. But the corrupt chief fattened his wallet and botched the case. Not that Eun-myeong’s father-in-law gave up. He kept chasing after the swindler until he caught him a few years later. It is a pity that he didn’t show his love for his family when they were around and made them think he was as cold as ice until they all left him behind.
“Don’t disrespect your father’s life. He never lived a single day for himself.”
Skipping ahead to the new millennium, our leads celebrate the new year hand in hand. They have been together since the 50s, and their love only grows stronger. With a new year comes new hopes. But for our leads, it was the beginning of a rough patch. Ignoring his mother’s advice about being careful, Eun-myeong got frostbite. Moreover, Geum-myeong quit her job to focus on her new business and moved with Chung-seob into a tiny studio. She wanted to keep it a secret, but had no choice but to spill the beans when Ae-sun insisted on visiting her place.
Nagged by her mother about giving birth, Geum-myeong argues she has no means to raise a child and throws a fit about giving her child everything and raising them in a way better than her parents raised her. Pointing out that at least Eun-myeong’s kids have a wealthy maternal grandparent to buy them expensive toys, Geum-myeong crushes Gwan-sik’s heart.
Having kids is a matter of choice. But did Geum-myeong have to put it like this and devastate her parents? Despite being poor, Gwan-sik and Ae-sun spared no effort to help Geum-myeong do whatever she wanted. So, they don’t deserve to hear those cruel words.
Desperate to grant his children a better life, Gwan-sik takes a gamble for the first time, selling the cabbage field Ae-sun inherited from her mother and investing the money in a restaurant. And wouldn’t you know it? The whole thing was a scam, and the realtor fled after selling a place in the middle of nowhere to Gwan-sik. Worse off, the house might get auctioned off since Gwan-sik took a loan using it as collateral.
As if he forgot about the mess he made in the past, Eun-myeong lectures his father about consulting his children first before making a big move, crossing the line, and telling his father off. Gwan-sik can barely say anything. And it is Ae-sun who puts Eun-myeong in his place and scolds him for being rude to his father. Breaking up the fight, Geum-myeong arrives, declaring she has secured the money.
A bigger fight ensues when Geum-myeong complains about having to dip into her savings and go around borrowing money to reclaim the house. She has always sent her parents’ money since she started her first part-time job. So, why didn’t they use that money instead of causing trouble? Gwan-sik might condone Geum-myeong venting at him, but not Ae-sun, raising his voice at Geum-myeong for the first time with an angry look on his face. Gwan-sik didn’t say much, only calling her name out loud, but it cut Geum-myeong to the core. So, she took off.
It isn’t like Ae-sun and Gwan-sik asked Geum-myeong for anything in return for supporting her. They keep telling her to stop sending them money. So, Geum-myeong’s outburst about having to support her family as the eldest daughter and being burdened by how her parents sold their house to send her abroad is uncalled for. We can understand her stance, but instead of feeling guilty, being grateful to her parents and treating them kindly is how to return their kindness.
After she leaves, our leads find the sonogram Geum-myeong left for them, along with a note where she apologizes for being blunt, arguing her hormones are all over the place. (That might be true, but Geum-myeong crossed the line.) The kind-hearted souls they are, our leads forget about everything Geum-myeong did and start worrying about their baby daughter becoming a mother herself.
Going into labour, Geum-myeong’s condition is critical, and the doctors ask Chung-seob to choose one to save between the mother and the child. Without an ounce of hesitation, he chooses Geum-myeong. Nervous, Chung-seob calls Geum-myeong’s parents, who rush over there with smiles on their faces to support their daughter. Geum-myeong is indeed their princess, but a mean and ungrateful one.
Welcoming their new granddaughter pulls the plug on our leads’ rough patch. With Ae-sun having his back, Gwan-sik achieves his goal and opens the restaurant. It has been ages since she saw him that excited, so Ae-sun gives Gwan-sik her ultimate support. They only have their diligence to rely on, but Ae-sun trusts Gwan-sik. Also, she has a whale of time playing CEO and sealing deals with the fishermen. As usual, no single one of them can beat her.
Between the World Cup, Jeju becoming a tourist destination, a movie getting filmed there, and lastly, a famous actress whom Gwan-sik saved in the past from drowning helping promote the restaurant. Our leads’ business takes off. With customers swarming in, our leads need every helping hand. So, they are joined by Eun-myeong, his wife, Gwan-sik’s mother, and Ae-sun’s aunts (her mother’s friends). Also, being the better person, Gwan-sik nudges Eun-myeong’s father-in-law to join them instead of staying home alone all day.
“There was a girl in a boy’s life. He spent all his days keeping the girl’s world safe.”
Now that their business is thriving and people line up to eat at their restaurant, our leads can finally stop worrying about money and catch their much-deserved lucky break. Loosening up, Gwan-sik takes guitar lessons to play a song for Ae-sun. But at that exact time, a cruel fate rears its ugly head, and Gwan-sik is diagnosed with a terminal illness.
It isn’t the excruciating chemotherapy sessions that have him concerned, but the thought of leaving Ae-sun behind. He isn’t scared of death but of the thought of her growing old and lonely and having to visit the hospital by herself. As his dying wish, Gwan-sik urges Geum-myeong to take good care of her mother and not treat her like a nuisance.
Between helping her become a poet, sending her to college, and going to the mainland, Gwan-sik promised to grant Ae-sun at least one wish. But it has always weighed on Gwan-sik that he couldn’t keep his word. Luckily, one of the poems Ae-sun wrote gets published, making Gwan-sik ecstatic. Clutching the book tightly to his chest, Gwan-sik feels relieved and can finally go in peace.
Returning home in between the sessions, Gwan-sik leaves everyone parting gifts. Buying Eun-myeong a new car and handing over an account book to Geum-myeong where he kept the money she sent them (We knew it. That money was left untouched), Gwan-sik hopes his children can lead a better life than his. Worried about Ae-sun having a hard time after his death, Gwan-sik repairs the house, moves down the kitchen utensils she can’t reach, and buys her dozens of hairpins so she won’t run out.
A medical emergency has Gwan-sik admitted to the ICU. Regretting all the time they wasted on saying things they don’t mean instead of expressing their love and gratitude, Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong cry in sorrow as they send Gwan-sik off. To grant his wish, Ae-sun holds back her tears and shows Gwan-sik her pretty smile in his final moments. Watching her cry tears his heart to pieces. So, Gwan-sik wanted the last thing he saw to be Ae-sun smiling. Assuring Gwan-sik he did a good job, he closes his eyes and breathes his last.
Circling back to the opening sequence, Ae-sun is now in her seventies, striving to live on and persistently pursuing her dream of becoming a poet. She kept writing every day, and now she has a notebook full of poems. Making her debut, a book gets published featuring every single poem Ae-sum wrote since she was a child to date. Wishing Gwan-sik was there, Ae-sun clutches her hand to her chest as a callback to when Gwan-sik held the book with her poem tightly.
Before he died, Gwan-sik urged Ae-sun to move in with their kids and not stay alone. But she can’t leave him behind. Helping out at a nursing home by day, Ae-sun feels a little better. Her life with Gwan-sik was full of beautiful moments. They faced many hurdles, yet she was never lonely. Now, Ae-sun tries her best to get by while awaiting the spring when they will get reunited.
This volume was tough to watch. But we won’t call it traumatic. Winter means coming full circle. And death is the natural end of life. Gwan-sik led an honorable life. And he did his best with everything he had. It is just that watching him suffer was heart-rending. So, perhaps the story could have gone with a natural death. Still, the drama wanted to keep its realistic aspect to the end. And it was natural that all this tough work would take a toll on Gwan-sik’s health. He has always kept going without stopping, even for once. And now he can rest in peace.
Watching Ae-sun alone in that house breaks our hearts. But this is how life is. At least Ae-sun has her children to rely on when things get too hard. Though nothing can fill the void Gwan-sik’s death left in her life. Back in high school, Ae-sun wrote Gwan-sik a poem after he nagged her to. Perfectly capturing their dynamics, it is a tender poem titled “My First Love.”
Like candy no one knows I have in my mouth,
He makes my whole world sweeter.
Is that why? Is that why my heart is always in spring?
두근거림을 알사탕처럼 숨겨놓던 봄날
<폭싹 속았수다>, 오직 넷플릭스에서. pic.twitter.com/ym9TTBQFP1
— Netflix Korea｜넷플릭스 코리아 (@NetflixKR) April 1, 2025
When Life Gives You Tangerines Quick Series Recap
Against the backdrop of Jeju Island in the ’60s, we follow the story of Oh Ae-sun, a rebellious girl dreaming of becoming a poet, and Yang Gwan-sik, a reticent boy who has a crush on Ae-sun and cares about her more than anything. Spanning from childhood days until they grow old, the drama explores their struggles and the sparkling moments when their lives shine.
When Life Gives You Tangerines Series Highlights and Musings
Going into the drama, we expected a typical rom-com about childhood lovers and the cliche enigma of whether they will end up together or get separated along the way. But the drama flipped our expectations upside down and surprised us in a good way, charming us with its tightly woven story, dexterous directing, and breathtaking cinematography almost immediately. The promotional materials promised a high-quality show, but the drama was magnificent.
While the part about childhood love is there, the drama doesn’t leave things on a surface level, yet portrays the emotional part with depth and authenticity, depicting a wide range of raw emotions and not just romantic love, further elevated by the top-notch acting and contemplative dialogue and voiceover. This is a love story for the years, surpassing anything we have seen so far. There was nothing extravagant or out of the norm; it was just the story of two ordinary and relatable people across seasons.
Through its central story, the drama explored different themes. Volume 1 delved into the oppression and discrimination women faced during patriarchal times and how their sacrifices were taken for granted if their main purpose of living is to serve their husbands and in-laws (while sometimes being the bread winner in place of their incompetent husbands), and the pain of losing a parent at a young age.
Then, volume two had our leads facing their first loss with the death of their youngest son. For years, Ae-sun kept visiting her son’s grave in all seasons and hugged his grave tightly, regretting not giving him one last hug when he asked her to. Gwan-sik followed her secretly, worried she might take her life. And it was only at the end of the story that our leads visited the grave together. Their guilt felt so harrowing that they couldn’t even utter their son’s name. Let alone reminisce about him.
Spanning 3 generations of parents, the parenthood theme was sprinkled throughout the drama, emphasizing the sacrifices parents make and the hardships they undergo to raise their children well. The drama was a tribute to All They Have Been Through. Gwan-sik and Ae-sun went out of their way to help their children soar. But their kids would drive a peg in their parents’ hearts at times. Granted, Eun-myeong’s anger at his parents for their favoritism is valid, but the way he disrespected Gwan-sik felt infuriating. Likewise, Geum-myeong was a mean brat.
At times, Geum-myeong’s story took center stage. But nothing could overshadow Gwan-sik and Ae-sun’s romance. All the other plotlines came second to them. Wrapping up their story, Gwan-sik passed away first. But even if he isn’t physically around, he surrounds Ae-sun with his love. Her treasure trove was filled with 50 years of his love. Gwan-sik didn’t speak much, but his actions spoke louder than any love words.
Gwan-sik thought the world of Ae-sun and would do anything for her. One outcry from Ae-sun was enough for Gwan-sik to cross the ocean for her. Need we say more? Even when he had nothing to his name, Gwan-sik cherished Ae-sun at his absolute best. Gwan-sik didn’t just set the bar too high. He became the new standard. Being the epitome of selflessness, the boy who liked cars rode a boat all his life to provide for his family. It isn’t like Gwan-sik didn’t have dreams. He just sacrificed them for his family.
If there is a drama with no filler scenes, it will be When Life Gives You Tangerines. There is no dragging things out or raising unnecessary tension. Every scene told a story, either delivering a beautiful message or teaching us a life lesson. Even the little snippets served a purpose, and the attention to detail was at its finest. This was a story with no villain (except for Yeong-beom’s mother, perhaps), just ordinary people who are often overlooked. Even Eun-myeong’s father-in-law, who was an annoying character, got a decent redemption arc toward the end.
From the leads to the special appearances to the supporting actors, they were all memorable characters, even if they just appeared on screen for a few minutes. Shout out to all the talented actors and actresses who took part in the drama, even if their screen time was minimal.
Portraying dual roles is no easy feat, but Lee Ji-eun/IU did it flawlessly and had amazing chemistry with all three of her co-stars. Despite the limited screen time, Park Bo-gum mesmerized us with his acting. Moon So-ri was amazing, too, but the one who stole the last volume for us was Park Hae-joon. He got into character so well that we would forget this was a fictional story and believe he was indeed Gwan-sik.
Amid countless forgettable and subpar dramas, When Life Gives You Tangerines not only stood out but also cemented its position as the essence of the slice-of-life genre. Calling it a masterpiece is an understatement. It is a drama that only comes once in a blue moon and leaves an everlasting impression, a masterclass in acting, writing, and directing, and one example of how dramas should be. If we can have our way, we want to cover every single scene and muse on every single aspect, but we will settle for this and keep the drama in our hearts forever.
움트는 봄, 무성한 여름, 무르익은 가을, 소복한 겨울
찬란한 인생의 사계절, <폭싹 속았수다> 지금 오직 넷플릭스에서. pic.twitter.com/XzWvMsJ4Ng
— Netflix Korea｜넷플릭스 코리아 (@NetflixKR) March 30, 2025
Photos and Videos: Netflix Korea
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