In her recent appearance on B tv’s Piaakia with Lee Dong-jin, IU opened up about the public’s reaction to her heartfelt romance with Park Bo Gum in When Life Gives You Tangerines, Netflix’s current hit K-drama.
Reflecting on their promotional efforts, IU laughed as she recalled, “Bo Gum and I mainly did the promotional activities together. Then people would say things like, ‘IU and Bo Gum must have really enjoyed the show.’ I didn’t get it at first, but once I did, it really cracked me up.” This reaction revealed just how convincingly viewers saw Ae Sun and Gwan Sik as real people, distinct from IU and Bo Gum themselves.
Host Lee Dong Jin offered a striking observation: “In a time when Korea is facing a demographic crisis, this drama feels like a promotion for marriage.” While IU didn’t intend for the story to send such a message, she admitted the love story felt deeply resonant: “It’s the first time I’ve experienced something like this… people of all ages are enjoying it.”
Still, some fans couldn’t help but wonder, was the romance too perfect?
Lee noted, “It’s a love story between IU and Park Bo Gum set in a rural village in Jeju… isn’t that too much of a fantasy?” IU acknowledged the idealism: “Yes, I do think there’s a fantastical element to their love story.“
About Park Bo Gum’s character, IU added, “Gwan Sik is like a new standard of what it means to be a good man… not rich or flashy, but incredibly attractive.” She described his sincerity as refreshing, saying she had “never seen a character like him in Korean films or dramas before.”
Whether real or fantasy, Ae Sun and Gwan Sik’s romance has captivated hearts around the world, showing that sometimes, a perfect love story is exactly what viewers need.
