When Life Gives You Tangerines

March 7, 2025

Ae-soon (IU), a spirited and rebellious girl from a poor Jeju family, dreams of becoming a poet. She meets Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum), a quiet, steadfast boy, against the backdrop of post-war Jeju in the 1950s. Their story begins at Gimnyeong Beach where the haenyeo divers gather.

March 7, 2025

Jeju's tangerine harvest frames Ae-soon and Gwan-sik's early friendship. The island's rhythms — diving, farming, the sea — establish the world they inhabit. Seopjikoji Cape appears in its first wide shot.

March 14, 2025

After marrying Gwan-sik and struggling with infertility, Ae-soon is led by her mother-in-law to Seongsan Ilchulbong to perform 3,000 bows in a ritual of hope. One of the most emotionally devastating scenes in the drama, set against the volcanic crater at dawn.

March 21, 2025

Ae-soon takes up haenyeo diving to support the family during a difficult winter. The cold-water scenes at Gimnyeong Beach are both physically brutal and quietly beautiful. Gwan-sik watches from the shore, unable to help in the way she needs.

March 21, 2025

The couple's children are born and the drama jumps forward in time. The island and its landscapes are seen in new seasons — spring canola, summer ocean, autumn tangerines. Hyeopjae Beach appears in a rare moment of family joy.

March 28, 2025

Ae-soon secretly enters a writing contest, submitting her work using Gwan-sik's name. The Jejumok Gwana Government Office hosts the contest. The episode's final scene — her name read aloud — is one of 2025's most discussed K-drama moments.

April 4, 2025

Time accelerates. The drama moves through Korea's industrialisation, the couple aging together on Jeju. The lighthouse at Seopjikoji Cape returns as a visual anchor across the decades.

April 4, 2025

Ae-soon and Gwan-sik's children grow up and move to the mainland. The empty nest scenes — quiet, unhurried, devastating — take place across all of Jeju's key locations. Hyeopjae Beach at sunset.

April 18, 2025

Ae-soon returns to Jeju alone. The island's beauty has never felt more painful. Gimnyeong Beach, Seopjikoji, the tangerine orchard — all revisited in the register of loss.

April 25, 2025

The title's Jeju dialect meaning — "Thank you for your hard work" — becomes the drama's final, encompassing gesture toward its characters. Seongsan Ilchulbong at sunrise. Gimnyeong Beach at low tide. Hyeopjae Beach in full light. A finale that cycles through every location as an act of gratitude.