When life gives you tangerines, lemons, or even oranges, sometimes you wonder: “What am I going to do with this?” When Life Gives You Tangerines, a Korean drama on Netflix with 16 episodes, is the answer to that question. The story of Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum) and Ae-sun (IU) is an emotional ride—a rollercoaster of joy and sorrow, just like real life.
Unlike lemons, which are sour, tangerines are sweet. Gwan-sik and Ae-sun's love is like this—unchanging, unending, no matter how many years pass. Even when they were young, Gwan-sik knew that his dream was to support Ae-sun. He said, “If she wants to be president, I'll just be the first lady.” He wasn't kidding. All his life, he had held the string while Ae-sun flew.
a father's unconditional love, and how important family is. From a deep-sea diving mother to a child who wants to be a poet, When Life Gives You Tangerines shows that dreams are not just for ourselves—we carry the dreams of the whole family.
To be honest, it's heartbreaking to watch. You'll cry a lot. It's like the Korean version of Tanging Yaman. Some people say that its title should be When Life Gives You Onions, because you'll cry so much. But even when you cry, there's joy. There's a lesson. There's hope. There's love.
So when life gives you tangerines, don't try to bite them whole. Break them into slices. Take it slow. Because that's how life is—not quick to swallow, but savourable.
