A Heartbreaking Love Story in “When Life Gives You Tangerines”: “I Wish You and I Would Die Together”
Only 4 episodes remain before “When Life Gives You Tangerines“ officially comes to an end. After three chapters filled with immense pain and loss, the final chapter doesn’t seem to offer any relief. This last part of the series is called “Winter” – the winter of Ae-soon’s (IU – Moon So Ri) life. And when has winter ever not been cold and heavy.
Spring – Summer – Autumn – Winter: The Cycle of Seasons, Each Marked by Loss
Rather than releasing the entire series at once, Netflix chose to air “When Life Gives You Tangerines” in four chapters, each representing a season and a defining stage in Ae-soon’s life. But just as the seasons change, so too did her fate, with each transition marking another heartbreaking loss, another “tangerine” stolen from her world.
“Spring” brought both warmth and devastation. The sea claimed her father, forcing young Ae-soon to live with her paternal family while longing for her mother. But fate was unkind, just as she was reunited with her, the ocean took her away as well. Ae-soon, still a child, was left to carry the burden of supporting her family at just ten years old. Yet amid her sorrow, Gwan-sik appeared, a steady presence in her lonely world.
“Summer” became a season of resilience. Now married to Gwan-sik, Ae-soon faced relentless hardships from her mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law, yet she never wavered, knowing she had her steadfast “iron pillar” beside her. But even the strongest pillar couldn’t protect her from the cruelty of fate. This time, the sea didn’t take a parent, it took her child. Ae-soon’s grandmother once said that when parents pass, they go to heaven, but when a child dies, they remain in their parents’ hearts forever. The loss of a parent is painful, but the loss of a child is an ache that never fades, a grief that lingers for a lifetime.
“Autumn” arrived, but instead of relief, it brought yet another farewell. Ae-soon lost her grandmother the woman who had sacrificed everything for her, even secretly giving up her fortune so she could have a boat. Though her passing followed the natural order of life, grief is never truly light, no matter how expected.
And then came “Winter,” the final chapter, and perhaps the cruelest of all. The production hints suggest that Ae-soon’s greatest pillar, Gwan-sik, may be next to go. But this won’t be a quiet passing. The sight of Ae-soon desperately running to the harbor, Geum-myeong’s anguished cries following an emergency stretcher, all point to a tragedy that may be even more devastating than death itself.
Once again, Ae-soon may be left behind, forced to endure the pain of watching those she loves slip away, one by one, as the seasons turn.
A Love So Painful, It Became a Wish for Death
The four seasons of a human life are about to close, and cruel reality has one by one taken everything from Ae-soon, leaving only unhealed wounds. That’s why, on an autumn day sitting by her grandmother’s grave, Ae-soon calmly spoke of a brutally honest wish toward those who would be left behind, “I wish you and I (Gwan-sik) would die together.”
After watching everyone she loved depart, Ae-soon no longer has the courage to face the possibility of seeing Gwan-sik leave her first. That quiet, simple wish – uttered as if it were a natural truth – encapsulates her entire life of loss. “Every season, I’ve had to say goodbye. No one can take anyone’s place. One by one, they all leave. My parents, your grandmother, your father, my grandmother, even our child…”
Gwan-sik was the one who grew up alongside Ae-soon, who endured every hardship in life with her. At age 10, he secretly brought her yellow croakers and meat, helped her plow and till the barren land, helped her feed four mouths, and supported her dream of becoming a poet. When Ae-soon’s mother passed away, Gwan-sik was the only one who sat beside her and cried. Even when she lost her first baby tooth, Gwan-sik was there. For Ae-soon, he tried to become someone capable – someone who could study in Seoul, the place she longed to be. And when she gave up on him, he gave up on Jeju altogether.
Only a year older than Ae-soon, Gwan-sik was like an older brother, a father figure, and later, a husband who loved her for a lifetime. Every milestone in Ae-soon’s life had her “steel pillar” to carry the burden and walk with her. Thanks to this boy, this young man, this husband, the stormy seas of poverty and fate became just a little gentler. Being with Gwan-sik became a habit – a joy that helped Ae-soon endure a lifetime of hardship. And that’s why she fears – fears having to see Gwan-sik go before her.
“I wish you and I would die together.” A cruel wish for those left behind – for Geum-myeong and her younger brother – but one that embodies Ae-soon’s entire life of sorrow. Yet a wish is just a wish. The scene from episode 1, where Ae-soon sits alone in a sea of people at a nursing home, is likely the true ending to her winter – and to the life of a girl who never had a complete, happy ending.
