When Life Gives You Tangerines episode 16 is earth-shattering in a way that will make you cry for over 20 minutes straight. They say all good things must come to an end, but for a family like the Yangs, it is just as they taste the sweet tangerines that they’re taken away from them as if they don’t deserve it. This is a bit dramatic, but we all know that the Yangs have been through a lot, but it is quite realistic and really reminds us of how precious our lives are on earth. Also, how important it is to always tell our loved ones how we really feel in our hearts. The final episode of the show switches gears and focuses more on Ae-Sun and Geum-Myeong’s relationship with Gwan-Sik. It might be one of the saddest TV episodes I’ve ever seen. But, with that said, let’s jump straight into the final episode of the show.
Spoiler Alert
Gwan-Sik Is Diagnosed With Cancer
In episode 16, the restaurant that the Yang family opened is finally doing so well that they have enough money to go on vacation, to have some time to themselves, and just to be a little bit carefree. Geum-Myeong calls her mum over to Seoul because she’s struggling to deal with her own daughter, who is as stubborn as a rock. Geum-Myeong needs her own mother to help her deal with her daughter. When the little girl is sleeping, Ae-Sun requests her to be nicer to her daughter. I guess, when it’s your own kid, there’s nobody that can come in the way of that. But it turns out all Geum-Myeong’s daughter wants is more time with her, and because she goes off to work early, she eats slowly and doesn’t let her mother dress her. Ae-Sun tells Geum-Myeong that Sae-Bom will learn things from observation. If Geum-Myeong doesn’t treat herself as a princess, Sae-Bom will automatically do the same thing. We already know that’s how Geum-Myeong turned out, too (but fortunately, she found the right man and family in the end).
Geum-Myeong asks Chung-Seob if she can use the money they saved up for Sae-Bom’s piano lessons for her parents. He tells her that she doesn’t even need to ask him about anything and should do as she pleases. A true partnership, eh? Geum-Myeong takes her parents to get some regular checkups in Seoul. This is when Gwan-Sik says Dong-Myeong’s name in his sleep. He repeats many times that he shouldn’t have gone to the barrier that day, because then Dong-Myeong would still be around with them. It turns out that Ae-Sun went to the grave often to protect her child from harsh weather and loneliness. Guess it was her coping mechanism to deal with the massive loss of her youngest child. But what she didn’t know was that Gwan-Sik always followed her and looked out for her from afar, too. Finally, after so many years, they can talk about it just a little bit without completely breaking down. A day before Dong-Myeong’s birthday, Gwan-Sik and Ae-Sun go to his grave together for the first time. Gwan-Sik tells Ae-Sun that he hopes their son has forgotten about them and moved on. But, alas, we finally learn that Gwan-Sik has a form of blood cancer, and it’s already in a late stage, leading to kidney failure. Gwan-Sik can get treatment, but it’s not going to keep him alive for long. However, we know what Ae-Sun is like. She would never let Gwan-Sik suffer alone. She asks him to promise to stay with her and be by her side forever because she can’t do anything without him by her side.
At the hospital during chemo, Geum-Myeong doesn’t show up for the paperwork, leaving Ae-Sun to figure things out herself. For some reason, everyone from the nurse to the receptionists treats her badly, telling her to read the signs and follow instructions. This is the first time we see Gwan-Sik actually get angry, a frustration that comes from being sick and hurting. Yes, he’s always been protective of Ae-Sun, but at this moment, he worries about where she might end up in the future. What he really wants is for her to be treated as a smart human being, not a wall that gets talked at. This is when Geum-Myeong shows up and sorts things out.
At night, Gwan-Sik tells Geum-Myeong to stay back with him at the hospital and sends his wife back home to freshen up and get a good night’s rest. The father-daughter duo talk all night about everything under the sun, but finally, Gwan-Sik requests Geum-Myeong to look after Ae-Sun. Geum-Myeong can’t take it anymore, and she bursts into tears, apologizing to Gwan-Sik for always being annoyed by him and never telling him how she really felt until it was too late. Back at home, Eun-Myeong can’t hold back his tears, and Gwan-Sik’s mum silently cries over the soup she’s specially prepared for her son.
Geum-Myeong Starts A Business After Gwan-Sik’s Death
Finally, we get to see Geum-Myeong on TV because she’s started a business inspired by her mum, Ever Study. Geum-Myeong talks about how if her mum had the chance, she would have become a well-educated poet, but instead, she didn’t get the resources she needed. With her motto—whoever, whenever, wherever—she started “Ever Study” so that kids like her mum and herself can reach their full potential. Of course, it’s a massive success, putting her on TV. Geum-Myeong also talks about her dad, which makes Eun-Myeong cry again. The Haenyeo get a special museum made in their honor, and it becomes a UNESCO heritage site. They might not have survived, but their legacy remains forever. In the end, Ae-Sun’s poems are published, and the book’s dedicated to Gwan-Sik, her first and final love. Though frail and completely different from how he used to be, Gwan-Sik cries reading this poem. They’re tears of joy and also sadness for leaving Ae-Sun behind. In that moment, they’re back to being like teenagers, Gwan-Sik giving Ae-Sun a piggyback and their grandchildren watching them with giddy joy. If only time could stay still in this moment. At night, Ae-Sun tells Gwan-Sik not to hurry up so much to leave. He asks her to promise she’ll smile on the day he dies because he would be very sad if the last face he saw was of her crying. Finally, he pats her on the back just as he’s been doing all these years. Not just for her, but for their children too.
After Gwan-Sik passes away, Ae-Sun has to pick up the pieces again and make the most of her remaining time. She immerses herself in writing poems, doing voluntary work, and hanging out with her kids to feel something. Ae-Sun may have lost the love of her life physically, but Gwan-Sik is always with her. Her poems get published in a proper book by a woman named Chloe Lee. This woman is the spitting image of Ae-Sun’s mum, which could imply that she’s her reincarnated, working a desk job, just as Ae-Sun had wished for her. Oh, and it seems San-Gil and Young-Ran have somehow worked things out because he wants to be a better person. His children will never side with him, though.
At the end of episode 16, Ae-Sun moves back to her mum’s house, thanks to her daughter buying it for her. The whole family enjoyed some tangerines in that very house over 10 years after Gwan-Sik’s passing. In the end, When Life Gives You Tangerines feels like a love letter from Geum-Myeong to her parents. We watch as their young versions make plans for a future that never exists for them, yet they still end up happy.
