Viewers Missed This One Detail About Gwan-sik – And It Changes Everything
I just finished watching When Life Gives You Tangerines, and whew! It was a whirlwind of emotions. Time and again, certain K-dramas pop up with an amazing plotline and are acted so well that we tend to forget that they are fiction.
When Life Gives You Tangerines is a K-drama that is here to stay. No matter how much I have cried watching it, I still feel compelled to talk about the angel named Yang Gwan Sik.
When Life Gives You Tangerines is a 16-episode drama that unravels the story of Oh Ae Sun (played by IU) and Yang Gwan Sik (played by Park Bo Gum) against the backdrop of Jeju Island.
When Life Gives You Tangerines
| Drama Name | When Life Gives You Tangerines |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Kim Won-Seok |
| Korean Name | 포경 속왔수다 |
| Cinematography | Choi Yoon Man, Kim Dong Soo |
| Released | March 7, 2025 |
| Episodes | 10 Episodes, 1 hr each |
| Genre | Slice Of Life |
| Stars | IU, Park Bo-Gum, Moon So-Ri, Park Hae Joon |
When Life Gives You Tangerines epitomizes that you don’t necessarily need to opt for flashy locations to deliver a masterpiece. Sometimes, an authentic story that touches and blurs the lines between reality and fiction will do.
When Life Gives You Tangerines is an art that destroys you from within and makes you want to live another day. It makes you ask yourself; how far can you go for love?
I’m not going to lie; this drama is not only about love – well, definitely not about the conventional form of love. This K-Drama churns out your deepest wounds: as we watch Ae-sun and Gwan-Sik navigate life’s turmoil, we find ourselves alongside them, praying that life spares us, just this once.
Cast Members
| Actor | Character | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Park Bo-gum | Yang Gwan-sik | Main Character |
| IU | Oh Ae-sun | Main character |
| Moon So-ri | Older Oh Ae-sun | Side character |
| Park Hae Joon | Older Yang Gwan-sik | Side Character |
The Plot
When Life Gives You Tangerines narrates the six-decade love relationship of Oh Ae-sun and Yang Gwan-sik, which stands firm against pennilessness, grief, and the cruel fragments of time.
This drama focuses a lot on the issues that society bestows upon women. Ae-sun has been a dedicated bookworm since childhood and always looks for opportunities that her circumstances do not allow.
Born the daughter of a Hanyeo, or a deep-sea diver, Ae-sun always pays attention to her mother’s saying that it’s better to be born as a cow than a woman in Jeju.
Ae-sun wanted to become a poet, but her impoverished life expected her to act differently. However, her mother always desired a different life for her, a life that was far, far away from Jeju and even further away from the acute poverty in which Ae-sun was born.
On one hand, while Ae-sun struggled to get her life together, this one guy always watched her from afar.
He always stayed by her side as her shadow and ensured she had someone to rely on when times got dark.
This angel of a person is no other than Yang Gwan-sik, to whom I will dedicate a huge chunk of this article.
The Theme of Resilience
Before we discuss the story further, let’s appreciate the Korean title, “When Life Gives You Tangerines.”
In Korean, it’s called “포경 속왔수다,” which carries a special meaning that the English title doesn’t quite capture.
In the Jeju dialect, it can be translated as “thank you for your hard work” or “you have endured,” which perfectly fits the storyline!
Throughout the series, we hear Oh Ae Sun’s voice and thoughts loud and clear, reminding us of the tough journey she shared with her life partner, Yang Gwan Sik.
However their lives pan out, you must watch for yourself. Though I have something to share, here is that chunk I was talking about that I am dedicating to Gwan-sik.
Yang Gwan-Sik: The Official Flag Bearer of the Green Flag Trope
Throughout the drama, the one prevalent theme was the title’s meaning, which is extracted from the English saying ‘When Life Gives You Lemons’.
All the sixteen episodes focused primarily on Ae-sun, her journey through hardships, and her achievements despite these hardships.
Although I am not complaining, I cannot help but feel that Yang Gwan-sik should’ve been explored even more on screen.
The little that was shown of Gwan-sik on the screen raised a few speculative queries. Wait! Before you come to me, I do not doubt that Gwan-sik is a quintessential green flag.
Regardless of Gwan-sik being the best husband one could ever ask for, I wondered what Gwan-sik’s dreams could have been.
Throughout the drama, Gwan-sik was praised for supporting IU in pursuing her dreams, helping her when she was at her worst, and always being her safe space.
In a heated moment, Ae-sun expressed her frustration, questioning why her mother had turned the tables.
She declared that she didn’t want her mother to continue setting the table forever; instead, she wanted her to flip it over.
Gwan-sik, maintaining his usual calm demeanor, suggested that she flip it first and offer to clean up afterward.
His response highlighted the true essence of love and partnership, emphasizing the importance of cherishing and protecting each other’s spirit. Gwan-sik encouraged this green flag prototype even more.
Now, let’s take a moment to ask ourselves, would Ae-sun still be able to achieve it all if Gwan-sik was not there to support her?
As the story centers too much upon Gwan-sik’s contributions to Ah-sun’s success, the question arises time and again: Is Ah-sun’s success solely tied to Gwan-sik?
If that answer is positive, how much can we portray Ah-sun as this strong woman character?
Since childhood, Gwan-sik has been Ah-Sun’s shadow, watching her and protecting her from afar. There are many women in Jeju, as well as worldwide, who are in dire need of such support!
(And of course, I’m at the top of that list. This is for you, dear God, in case you’re listening.)
Jokes apart, such support is unavailable for all the women who need it. This raises speculations regarding the strong, independent women who can withstand it all.
Apart from the physical issues that Gwan-sik always assisted Ah-sun with, he was also constantly present during her mental turmoil.
This begs the question, how far would a love-deprived woman be able to get along all by herself?
Unravelling The Green Flag Symptoms: Is It Healthy?
K-dramas are celebrated worldwide, one of the prime reasons being their immensely green-flag male protagonists.
Even before Gwan-sik introduced himself to us, we were obsessed with some or the other male protagonist, who was equally fitted into this category.
If we take a quiet moment to ourselves, is this Green Flag category worth fitting into?
More than often, we consider a self-sacrificing nature as one of the biggest traits of these celebrated male protagonists and one of the biggest elements of being a Green Flag.
In the context of Gwan-sik, we have witnessed him being silent, nurturing, and painstakingly calm alongside Ae-sun.
Gwan-sik first appears in Oh Ae Sun’s life when he is a young boy, giving her fish when she is alone. They experienced the heartache of losing a child but also raised two more and became well-respected elders in their community.
As he lay dying, he regretted not making her life easier. In response, Oh Ae Sun assured him that, thanks to him, she had never felt lonely for a single day.
This scene and Gwan-sik’s reply make us fall in love with him all over again, but then again, the fact that Gwan-sik was just happy to be by her side, and nothing else, is not something we should romanticise.
Every individual has their own story to tell. To live for others, no matter how romantic it sounds, is a way to kill one’s desires and choices.
Ae-sun’s success should only be as celebrated as it is now, when she has achieved it completely alone. But the questions remain: Could she have achieved this on her own? Or would she have become just like her mother? That’s an answer I would like you to give.
The Dark Side of These Celebrated Traits
Although a partner like Gwan-sik is highly desired, being a partner like him is similarly difficult and unhealthy.
When we romanticise such attributes and want our partners to behave this way, we set unrealistic expectations and hurt ourselves and our partners.
No, hold on! When I mention unrealistic expectations, I don’t mean you won’t expect your partner to support you in your worst times or vice versa.
When I talk about unrealistic expectations, I mean you will be disappointed when you start to identify love with certain attributes. Love doesn’t come with a rulebook.
Moreover, it’s important to know that we are also human, and we don’t deserve this pressure to act in a certain way to prove to our partners that we love them.
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