Cover Details big and small make ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ one of the best K-dramas of all time. (Photo: Netflix)
Details big and small make ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ one of the best K-dramas of all time. (Photo: Netflix)
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Did you catch any of these details while watching the biggest K-drama of the year?
You can tell a lot of love and work went into When Life Gives You Tangerines not just by the exceptional story and script, stellar cast and superb acting, but also by the meticulous attention to detail, even those as tiny as IU’s signature beauty mark. Line callbacks, visual cues and small gestures that are often easy to miss—unless you’re paying close attention—were used for maximum impact. No wonder fans and critics are already calling Tangerines one of the best K-dramas of all time.
Also read: 7 memorable roles played by Park Bo-gum in dramas and films
IU’s Beauty Mark
Above Production paid attention to the smallest details, including IU’s iconic beauty mark. (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
Above (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
Production paid attention to the smallest details, including IU’s iconic beauty mark. (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
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In the drama, IU takes on the dual roles of Ae-sun and, later, Ae-sun’s daughter, Geum-myeong. It’s a testament to IU’s exceptional talent that she played two distinct characters so convincingly. To further differentiate the two, IU, as Ae-sun, gets to keep her signature beauty mark—a feature added through makeup for the other actresses portraying the character—for continuity. Geum-myeong, however, does not have IU’s beauty mark.
Don’t miss: 7 K-drama and movie characters that showcase IU’s versatility
Gold, Silver, Bronze
Above Gwan-sik’s ‘geum’, ‘eun’, ‘dong’ (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
Gwan-sik’s ‘geum’, ‘eun’, ‘dong’ (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
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Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum) named his children Geum-myeong, Eun-myeong and Dong-myeong. In English, geum translates to gold, eun to silver and dong to bronze. Having given up a promising career as an athlete, his children had become his greatest achievements. He would later name his boat Geum Eun Dong as a tribute to his kids.
Don’t miss: 5 rising K-drama child stars who are stealing the spotlight
The Car Badge
Above A ‘stellar’ job (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
Above The missing ‘S’ (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
A ‘stellar’ job (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
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Eun-myeong (Kang You-seok) found himself in serious trouble at school when he was caught stealing letters from the faculty’s car badges and selling them to students as lucky charms. The students believed that owning a letter from a car badge matching the first letter of the university they hoped to attend would increase their chances of being accepted.
In a later scene, Geum-myeong (IU), is seen with a book binder adorned with what appears to be an “S” from a car badge. It's unclear whether Eun-myeong sold the letter to his older sister or gave it to her as a gift, though fans are hoping it was the latter.
And it looks like maybe the charm worked. She managed to get into Seoul National University, widely regarded as the top university in South Korea.
See also: 7 K-dramas that bring the chaos of high school to life
Peas, Please
Above Gwan-sik cannot refuse his daughter anything. (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
Above Bringing his adult daughter a year’s worth of peas (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
Gwan-sik cannot refuse his daughter anything. (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
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Proving that a father’s love is forever, Gwan-sik never forgot that Geum-myeong’s favourite food as a child was peas. Even as an adult, her father would always remember to bring her peas whenever he visited her.
The Promise
Above On her wedding day (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
Above A promise kept (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
On her wedding day (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
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When they were still together, Park Yeong-beom (Lee Jun-young) promised Geum-myeong that he would someday see her in a wedding dress, implying that she would be his future bride. He did manage to keep his promise although not as he intended. (Spoiler alert!) Having parted ways years before, they didn’t end up getting married. Instead, he drove to the church on her wedding day and watched her from afar as she was preparing to walk down the aisle next to Park Chung-seob (Kim Seon-ho).
Don’t miss: 5 things about the Korean actor, Kim Seon-ho, revealed
November 16, 2006
Above A memorable day (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
Above Good luck, students! (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
A memorable day (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
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On the day that Geum-myeong is rushing to the hospital to see her father, the streets are clear of traffic. That’s because that day coincided with Korea’s College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), and that usually means that the country is on what’s called “hush” mode—land and air traffic are restricted, and workers start the day later in order to ensure that students are able to focus on the test.
My hand in his pocket
Above The smallest gesture (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
Above A sign of devotion (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
The smallest gesture (Photo: screencap from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ Netflix)
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Gwan-sik and Ae-sun proved the consistency of their affection for each other in many ways throughout their lives. One particularly endearing gesture that endured the test of time is Ae-sun’s habit of slipping her hand into the pocket of Gwan-sik’s jacket. It’s a small detail, but the fact that this simple act persisted well into their later years speaks volumes about the depth of their love for each other.
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