The ending of When Life Gives You Tangerines episode 8 may have seemed for some like the end of an era because Ae-Sun left her mom’s home behind. But, in truth, it’s a new beginning, one that’s going to take the family higher up (quite literally, since they’re now moving into an apartment). It’s not that the show is unpleasant, but there’s a heartbreaking feeling even while waiting for what’s coming next, because the circle of life is such that when one thing ends, another begins. Only, we don’t want anything good to end. If Vol 1 told us of Ae-Sun and Gwan-Sik’s childhood, Vol 2 gives us an insight into their mid-life. After running away to Busan at age 18, they’re now parents of 18-year-olds themselves. A terrible fate befalls Ae-Sun and Gwan-Sik in episode 6, when their youngest son ends up dying. Years pass, but even when the moon wanes, life goes on. With that, let’s dive into the ending of When Life Gives You Tangerines Vol 2.
Spoiler Alert
Why Does Geum-Myeong Want Tangerines?
The whole discussion about Geum-Myeong needing to go to Japan begins when she asks her mom for some tangerines for her university teacher. In Korea, the tangerine is a symbol of good fortune because it was consumed by royals as a medicine. Jeju Island happens to be the largest producer of tangerines in all of the country, so it only makes sense that, as a symbol of gratitude, she’d want to give some to the teacher who puts her first. If you compare this with when Ae-Sun wanted to become the president of her class and got more votes than the general’s son; even though her mom tried to fight for her, Ae-Sun was left the underdog. But, as a mother herself now, Ae-Sun too wants to try everything in her power to show her daughter that she can reach for the stars. When Ae-Sun learns that Geum-Myeong’s teacher wanted to take a loan for her daughter to go to Japan, but Ae-Sun refused to go, she decides there’s no way she’s staying back in Seoul.
In truth, Ae-Sun could’ve taken up her teacher’s offer and run with it. It’s through her merit that she got this opportunity, fair and square. But it is her guilt that stops her from racing towards the horizon. What’s ironic is that her mom wants to live vicariously through her, so she’ll do anything to push her to achieve all her goals. It’s a circle that must be broken. So, Ae-Sun makes the brave decision of leaving behind the last bit of her mother she had left. Selling off the house she used to run towards as a child. The house she called home as an adult. In which her children grew up. For Eun-Myeong, it’s no big deal. He’s simply jealous of his sister moving away, going abroad, when he has to live with his parents in a cramped apartment. But Ae-Sun is happy, which makes Gwan-Sik happy too. While Geum-Myeong has almost all of Ae-Sun’s qualities (and looks), the most important thing she passed down was her kindness. Geum-Myeong is the kind of girl who gives her bus fare to an old lady selling beans in the rain with a plastic bag on her head. She’s the kind of girl who can’t explain to her father how much she loves that he’s there for her; instead, she yells at him because it’s frustrating how much they’ll do for her. Ah, the hard truths of being a loving family.
Why Does Ae-Sun Write Dong-Myeong A Letter?
At the end of episode 8, Ae-Sun gets a visit from her mom in her dream. Ae-Sun’s mom asks her why she would write a letter to a boy who can’t even read. She says it’s so that he doesn’t panic when he comes back and notices his parents are gone. Ae-Sun is happy to go back to memories of her mother and speak to her, because even moms need moms. For Ae-Sun, her mother brings her peace; she gives her advice when she feels down and alone. But why not Dong-Myeong? Ae-Sun’s guilt must be the most unbearable feeling in the whole world. She didn’t hug her kid before she left him forever; I can’t imagine that’s a thing you can ever forget. So, instead, you push it aside, hide from it, and then bury it deep in the ocean, where even the fish can’t reach it. Ae-Sun’s mom comforts her in the dream; maybe it is a symbol that she’s leaving that feeling in the ocean before moving to a new place. But this is not to say that Ae-Sun will forget about Dong-Myeong, and neither will Gwan-Sik. We know that during their endoscopies, as (presumably) grandparents, Gwan-Sik talks about the barrier. If he’d never gone, maybe he could’ve kept his son alive.
What Can We Expect From Vol 3?
If Vol 1 was the summertime, and Vol 2 was winter, I guess Vol 3 will be the spring of Ae-Sun and Gwan-Sik’s life. In this volume we’ll get to see more of Geum-Myeong and Eun-Myeong’s lives as they grow up and find their own partners. In the preview, there’s a moment when Eun-Myeong comes back home from the military, and Ae-Sun asks him if he brought something with him. Well, in my opinion, it’s likely to be someone. On the other hand, Geum-Myeong will be a sort of rebel and eventually end up with Yeong-Beom. We’ve already seen her crying on her wedding day. At the same time, it looks like Gwan-Sik is going to meet a woman who might seem like an old fling but isn’t. I have a feeling it’s Sang-Gil’s wife, but we’ll have to see. There will definitely be a few sad moments in Vol 3 too, but not like Vol 2. Ae-Sun will speak to her grandmother about losing her son because they’ve both been through the same thing. Nobody can fathom the pain of losing their own child until they’ve experienced it themselves. Guess these 4 episodes will also be a reminder that no matter how much you try to bubble wrap your kid as a parent, they will eventually end up hurting themselves, and that’s okay.
