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The South Korean drama series When Life Gives You Tangerines has concluded its poignant narrative, leaving viewers with a blend of emotions as they bid farewell to the beloved characters. The final episodes, released on March 28, 2025, encapsulate themes of love, loss, and personal growth, culminating in a heartfelt finale that resonates deeply with its audience.
The series concludes with Ae-sun realizing her ambition to be a respected published poet, signaling the conclusion of a long journey of commitment and devotion to poetry. Her success stands as a testament to believing in oneself and working hard, which leads to incredible accomplishments.
The last episode builds a combination of bittersweet memories reflecting life's great complexity and beauty. Gwan-sik's wish and promise to send off Ae-sun before and then meet her in heaven remain unfulfilled as he dies in his late 50s.
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Even in his final few days, he buys several hairpins for Ae-sun and changes the kitchen storage cabinets to make it easier for her to reach the jars. He fixes the windows so that Ae-sun can sleep in peace even when he is not around to take care of her.
The series brings viewers to a tearjerking ending with Gwan-sik's absence feeling like a void—yet he is ever-present in Ae-sun and his kids' lives in some manner. The show examines prominent themes throughout each episode — love, sacrifice, and self-growth.
When Life Gives You Tangerines ends with a proper send-off to Ae-sun, Gwan-sik, Geum-myeong, and Eun-myeong. It will not be renewed for a second season.
When Life Gives You Tangerines: A tale of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik's love and unpredictability of life
Episode 13 of When Life Gives You Tangerines focuses on Geum-myeong (portrayed by IU) getting married to Park Cheong-seob (Kim Seon-ho). The episode shows how the two reconnected and found their soulmates in each other.
The episode also shows flashbacks of how Geum-myeong and Cheong-seob meet again after missing each other thrice. They cross paths after three years, especially given Cheong-seob's longstanding, albeit unspoken, affection for Geum-myeong. The duo gets off the bus and spends the night drinking and talking their hearts out at a restaurant.
Guem-myeong narrates as she walks down the aisle in When Life Gives You Tangerines episode 13:
“The size of the love wasn't different. Its temperature was. It was the temperature that let me be myself. I've found my prince.”
Episode 14 shows Gwan-sik taking his life's biggest risk and buying a store to open a restaurant. In the beginning, the restaurant didn't do well as it was situated in the middle of nowhere. But with patience and perseverance, Ae-sun and Gwan-sik turn the business into a profitable one.
In When Life Gives You Tangerines' episode 14, Geum-myeong becomes a mother and experiences motherhood. She realizes how hard her own mother's life has been raising three kids. With age, Geum-myeong becomes softer.
The family sticks together and helps each other during tough times. Ae-sun's son, Eun-myeong, becomes a father, which adds a new chapter to their story and shows how life continues in cycles. Her daughter, Geum-Myeong, remains strong and supportive, taking care of her parents and demonstrating the value of family bonds.
A pivotal moment unfolds when Gwan-sik, Ae-sun's devoted husband, is diagnosed with a terminal illness at the end of episode 15. This revelation casts a shadow over the family, prompting reflections on mortality and the preciousness of time.
Throughout episode 16, despite his declining health, Gwan-sik's enduring love for Ae-sun is evident as he continues to cherish their shared moments. In a particularly moving scene, Ae-sun surprises Gwan-sik with a published collection of her poems. He takes the book and goes out of their house to sit on a bench and read the whole book to his heart's content.
Ae-sun follows him downstairs a while later and tells her how lucky she has been to have him by her side for 50 years since when she was nine and he was ten.
As Gwan-sik's condition deteriorates, the family rallies around him, offering comfort and companionship during his final days. Their collective strength and unity underscore the series' central theme of familial love and the enduring connections that bind them.
In the last episode of When Life Gives You Tangerines, viewers get a closer look at Ae-sun and her family as they handle the challenges of their relationships and goals. Ae-sun keeps pursuing her love for poetry, which represents her desire to express herself and find personal happiness. Her commitment to poetry shows her strength and determination.
When Life Gives You Tangerines episode 16 shows the year 2006 when Gwan-sik takes his last breath, leaving behind a heartbroken Ae-sun, Geum-myeong, and Eun-myeong. The show moves forward to 2023, showing a much older Ae-sun, 17 years later, teaching elderly people at a Jeju nursing home.
She gets a call from Geum-myeong and goes back home to see her daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson waiting for her. They set up the table to spend time together. Eun-myeong surprises Ae-sun by bringing a box of the latter's newly published poem book.
The scene cuts to displaying the book publishing editor reading Ae-sun's original poem manuscript and crying. The editor looks exactly like Ae-sun's mother, Gwang-rye. When Life Gives You Tangerines beautifully culminates in hinting that Gwang-rye is reborn as a famous publisher who has her own cabin and desk—a dream Gwang-rye saw for her own daughter, Ae-sun.
When Life Gives You Tangerines season 2 possibilities explored
When Life Gives You Tangerines ending wraps up everyone's stories with a proper closure. Gwan-sik died in his late 50s in 2006 due to blood cancer, which stemmed from his arthritis. Ae-sun lives on for 17 more years to see her poem collections finally being published in 2023.
Ae-sun and Gwan-sik's daughter, Geum-myeong, is in her late 40s and has a successful business. Geum-myeong's husband is still teaching as an art instructor at Seoul's biggest art university, and their daughter is now a teenager.
Ae-sun and Gwan-sik's son, Eun-myeong, is middle-aged and has a teenage son and a young daughter. Eun-myeong and his wife, Hyeon-suk, take care of the restaurant Gwan-sik and Ae-sun opened in Jeju in 2002. The business has been a landmark since then due to Gwan-sik and Ae-sun's hard work and goodwill.
The last scene ends on a poignant note when Ae-sun, who is in her 70s, starts looking frail. He holds her published poem book close to her chest and thanks her late husband for loving her for more than 50 years.
A middle-aged Geum-myeong sits beside her mother as Ae-sun's voiceover runs in the background, where she promises to live her last few days happily and wait to meet her husband in heaven soon.
All episodes of When Life Gives You Tangerines are available to stream on Netflix.
