When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025) s01e01 Episode Script

1
[opening theme music playing]
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU TANGERINES
["Yesterday" by The Beatles
playing on radio]
Yesterday ♪
All my troubles seemed so far away ♪
[caretaker] Oh goodness.
It's all right. A poem can be simple.
You just write down the things
you'd like to say.
That's all there is to it.
Suddenly ♪
[woman 1] Ok-sim, make us food
Look at me, give me food
Hey, Mom
Food, food, food
Stop saying, "Ok-sim, make me food"
I must have spent my whole life
Making food
[caretaker] Think about the things
you've always wanted to say the most.
[man 1] "Respect Your Elders"
by Lee Byeong-seon.
[woman 2] Eyes fading, ears fading too
Sons and daughters
My back is killing me
Please come and visit me often
[caretaker gasps]
Someone hasn't written a single word yet.
Just write down
what you want to say the most.
That's how you write a poem about life.
Oh, I believe in yesterday ♪
Why she had to go ♪
I don't know, she wouldn't say ♪
I said something wrong ♪
Now I long ♪
[woman 3] I didn't know back then
that I'd ever reach the age of 70.
Yesterday ♪
[waves crashing]
Love was such an easy game to play ♪
[sentimental music playing]
[woman 3] I didn't know back then
[sighs]
that what I'd want to say the most at 70
is a word
I said more than any other, every day.
Mom.
[women singing]
[sentimental music continues]
[women singing continues]
[singing fades]
Mom.
[gasps, whistles]
Hey, Mom.
[young girl] Mom!
[breathing heavily]
[young girl] Mom!
Mom!
Mom!
Hey, Mom! Hey!
Come out quickly, Mom! Hurry up!
Why are you always
the last one to come out?
[whistles]
[young girl] Oh, come on!
Are abalones more important
than your daughter?
Why did you go back down?
Are you doing it just to annoy me?
Mom! Come on!
There's green laver all over
the ocean floor in the spring.
That greedy woman won't come out.
Hey, Ae-sun, leave your mother alone.
Instead, look at the color
of Mr. Yang's cheeks!
[women laughing]
It's just sunburn. I told you.
Oh, something's burning all right,
young man. It's his little heart.
Only Ae-sun can't see it!
[women laughing]
Can you imagine that?
A haenyeo's daughter marrying
a fish merchant?
All of Jeju would be out of business!
[women laughing]
You're so damn annoying!
She's going over. Look.
[young Ae-sun grunts]
Did someone smack you or what?
Why are your cheeks always red?
[woman 4] She's turned him down again.
[women laughing]
My mom should have just given birth
to an abalone instead of me.
[woman 5] Mr. Yang.
There are two conches. Here.
[woman 4] Get us a fair price
for them, all right?
[young boy] Yes, ma'am.
Did you swim down the hall of
the Dragon King for that seaweed?
[woman 4] It's not the sea
that kills haenyeo. It's greed.
Greed is deadlier than the sea,
and that's a fact.
[woman 5] By the way,
how is Grandma from Hallim doing?
[woman 6] Her lungs won't ever recover.
She can only make a living
from what we put in these bags,
so let's keep her alive, eh?
Is there only seaweed in this one?
Mom wants at least a few abalones.
There's a few there, see?
Abalones are tiny in the spring.
There's not much for them to eat.
[woman 6 sighs]
You may as well give
the whole thing away! Just take it all!
There she goes again, losing her shit.
Grandma from Hallim has three sons.
Why are we the ones
to have to feed those hungry kids?
I don't risk my life for them,
diving into that hellscape every day.
I do it for my own children.
I don't dive for abalones
to feed someone else's family.
You think you're special, huh?
Who taught you everything you know?
Who do you owe for being able
to feed your children?
My children depend on what I catch
to feed them. Same as you.
We can't afford to be feeding
a sick grandma too.
I'm not giving up my abalone.
Just the thought infuriates me.
Make sure you count 'em.
[woman 6] What do you think made her sick
in the first place?
We'd do the same for you
if you were bedridden.
[scoffs] I will never be bedridden.
Haenyeo live and die together.
None of us can do it alone.
Well, if you're all such saints,
what do you need the Dragon King for?
I thought that new husband
would satisfy you,
but you're just greedier than ever.
How can you pamper that lazy man
and think your abalones
are too good for sanggun?
We were both poor as dirt
when we came here together.
At least I remember who taught us to dive.
If you can't respect what
Hallim Grandma did for us,
you're worth less than a snailfish.
If you're so much better than me,
why is your husband's face paralyzed?
That was because he slept out in the cold!
His face is paralyzed
because he barely eats.
Huh? You gonna tell me I'm wrong?
[scoffs] You don't get
to talk to me that way.
You're no better than I am.
At least I don't have children
with two different men!
-Easy now.
-Gyeong-ja.
-Enough.
-[young Ae-sun] Here we go again.
She always starts a fight
right before we go home.
Wha Hey, what?
What are you
Damn it. You damn brat.
What did you do that for? Shit!
Ugh! You spilled my conches everywhere!
You damn menace!
Damn it!
Why the hell did I bring her with me
when I came here?
-Oh, what a waste! They're ruined!
-Happens when you poke a puffer fish.
When a woman is fighting to survive,
you stay out of her way.
[Gyeong-ja] What a damn waste.
Why don't you try kicking that leech
of a husband you keep at home
instead of taking it out on my catch?
[Ae-sun's mom grunts]
[young Ae-sun] You can't spare a second
for your daughter.
I won a prize,
but you only care about those snails.
[Ae-sun's mom] What good does a poem do?
Does writing a poem
bring home any abalones?
Can't you just read it, Mom?
It won second prize in school.
Go and show your grandmother.
The Oh family likes its scholars.
Show it to her and and then say,
"Please keep me in school."
[young Ae-sun] Grandma hates me.
She says I remind her
more of you every day.
That's why she can't stand
the sight of me.
Go on to your own house for supper.
[young Ae-sun]
I told them I'd eat with you.
Go. Your stepdad's coming.
Who cares, Mom?
Can't I have dinner here?
I want a conch
with the red seaweed you picked.
A daughter of the Oh family
should eat at the Oh household.
Uncle won't even give me a yellow croaker.
What do you mean, he doesn't?
He says having a girl around
who gets good grades and awards
is stealing all his son's luck.
He says it's my fault
Oh Jong-gu is at the bottom of his class.
The yellow croaker
isn't even the worst part.
It's how he treats me at the table.
It's not fair.
I'm so sad that I can hardly eat.
Every time I'm there,
I just get too choked up.
Please, Mom,
can I just live here with you?
Can I?
Maybe someday?
-Never, ever?
-What are you choked up for anyway?
Did you do something wrong?
How do you expect anyone to love you
acting like that?
Go.
Go!
Learn how to defend yourself. Figure out
some way to make them love you.
Well, what do you know?
Sun-ae is here again.
Ae-sun, not Sun-ae!
Are you an idiot?
Ae-sun, right.
[chuckles] Staying for dinner?
No, I'm going home.
[gentle acoustic guitar music playing]
[sighs]
[Ae-sun's mom] That little brat.
Daddy. Have some water.
Thanks. [sighs]
She's always such a pain in the ass.
[young Ae-sun]
Cigarettes can kill you, Mom.
Haenyeo rely on their lungs.
You must have a death wish.
[Ae-sun's stepdad]
Why don't you just let her live with us?
For one thing,
she'd be much better off here.
Surely you see that.
[Ae-sun's mom] You do nothing for your
own family, so mind your own business.
We don't have the money
or space to raise her.
This tiny hut we rent
is too small as it is.
You blame a child for wanting
to feel her mother's embrace?
[scoffs] Why do you care?
You prefer her to a cow.
You want her to look after
her half-siblings?
She'll always be family to you.
Look, the only reason we're living here
is so you can be close to her.
She's over practically every day
whenever she has the chance.
She can't wait to live here with you,
but you insist on keeping her there.
You're just setting her up for heartache.
The Oh family has money. At least there,
she'll get a proper education.
What's the point of letting a girl get
an education? It'll just frustrate her.
-Oh!
-[sighs]
Don't haenyeo start learning
how to dive when they're teenagers?
Would you say that about
your own daughter?
Is that the kind of life you want for her?
You damn island women
will pick a fight over anything.
I will never let her dive.
You're better off being born a cow
than a haenyeo.
I slave away every day for nothing!
It's unbelievable
what we're expected to endure.
What good would living here do her anyway?
She's too soft.
She'll end up being your maid.
Guess I'll throw this out, then.
Reading it would just break your heart.
Stop, you're crumpling it!
That's no way to treat a winner.
It won second place.
[grunts]
There, there.
I mean it.
You're better off not reading it.
[percussive music playing]
GYONGGI NOODLE
This is an "F," kid.
"F" as in you're a fool.
That kid must have a death wish too.
[man] I only bought five.
There's an extra one for free.
Did your mom say that?
Well, did she?
You have six people in your family,
but for some reason, you only buy five.
Think you're rich enough
to give 'em away, is that it?
Mind your own business.
[sighs]
He's so annoying.
Yi-suk.
-Huh?
-Here.
Yeah?
Ae-sun, start with the pot.
Wash the pot first.
Oh. What? What is that woman doing?
[uneasy percussive music playing]
[dog barking in distance]
Here are some damn yellow croakers!
What is the meaning of this?
Have you gone nuts?
How dare you come in here and
Money's tight, huh?
-Wh wh what?
-You can't afford to feed my little girl?
And you, mother-in-law,
isn't she a daughter of the Oh family?
Are you so surprised
that she takes after her father?
It's not just wrong.
It's mad!
Your dear son!
Your eldest brother!
Right now, he's turning in his grave!
I can see why
he couldn't survive your marriage.
How dare you come here
and blather about my brother!
[screaming]
You must be possessed by a demon
or God-knows-what.
You blame me for my husband's death,
is that it?
Don't you feel sorry for her?
The girl who lost her father?
That's it. I'm taking my daughter now.
Damn you, making her do your dishes.
How dare you!
I'm glad they never gave me any croaker
'cause I get to live with you now.
You like me that much, huh?
What's my secret?
You're my mom.
Goodness.
I like you because you're my mom.
Why would you ask that?
You like me so much?
Better grow up.
'Cause every day,
I'll be expecting my hundred won.
You read my poem!
[feel-good music playing]
[young Ae-sun] "Damn Abalones"
written by Oh Ae-sun,
third grade, class eight.
All day, every day, abalones, abalones
When the typhoon blows, abalones, abalones
Worth more than a daughter
Those damn abalones
"Hurry back," I tell her
When she dives in the sea
What could down there
So cold and so deep be?
Is she looking for clams
Buried under the sand?
Did she run out of breath?
Will she come back to land?
Why does a daughter
Wait here on the shore?
Because damn abalones
That's what it's all for
If abalones cost a hundred won to find
I'd pay it all back
For a day of Mom's time
My mom with her sore back
My mom with her bad cough
A hundred won per day
If it means my mom can rest
[sniffles]
[tuts, sighs]
Did you ever hear of such a daughter
who can write like this?
[sobs]
How did I get so lucky?
[Ae-sun's stepdad] Told you so.
[upbeat melodic music playing]
Give me 100 won every single day,
and I won't have to dive.
That way,
I'll have all day
to spend with my daughter.
You see why it was second place?
Judges must have been blind.
You didn't like it?
They only gave it second place?
They should've made it first!
Don't mistreat her.
If you do,
your ass will be out on the street.
My dear, you have no luck with husbands,
but your children are another story.
Oh, this little brat.
The worst brat of all brats.
Still a pain in the ass.
I'd take a brat like that
any day of the week.
[both groan]
My father and mother
were up to their ears in debt.
My first husband was bedridden.
And my second husband's a deadbeat.
I've accepted it.
It was my destiny to bear all that weight.
All anyone did was
climb onto my back to be carried.
This tiny thing.
She keeps climbing down.
She keeps asking
to share some of the burden.
[sighs]
And that makes her a brat, um,
because that's the thing
that breaks my heart more than anything.
[Ae-sun's stepdad] Just you wait. [sighs]
That brat will be taking care of you
long into the afterlife.
My goodness. I'm a worthless mother
who wouldn't even dare to dream.
[sniffles]
I can't leave her yet.
I wanna be around
to see the day
when the world praises her as a scholar.
[grunts]
She'll be the next Han Seok-bong one day,
mark my words.
Our Ae-sun.
If any of us can make
something of our lives, it's her.
[uplifting piano music playing]
THE FIFTH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION
[young Ae-sun crying]
[Ae-sun's mom] Oh my, do you realize that,
thanks to you, I have a new title now?
You, being VP of your class,
makes me a VP's mother.
Let's celebrate with rice cakes.
[young Ae-sun] Who said
I wanted to be vice president?
The whole fishing industry is like that.
Behind every captain
is a vice captain ready to lead.
If everyone's on top,
then who's vice president?
The second-in-command has more influence.
Who would wanna be second-in-command?
I've never even been a hall monitor.
I want "Ae-sun, voted vice president"
written in the family history book.
Don't write that down.
Don't you dare write that down!
You know, I thought Oh Ae-sun
was actually voted president.
Uh-huh, I'm sure she was.
You just make sure to serve
your president well, then.
Ae-sun got 37 votes,
Lee Man-ki only got 28.
So why is Lee Man-ki class president?
Why do I have to be vice president?
My presidency was stolen!
"It was stolen"?
CLASS PRESIDENT ELECTION
OH AE-SUN, LEE MAN-KI
[teacher] Don't you think
you're being a little selfish here?
I don't get it. I got 37 votes.
Honestly, you have some nerve, young lady.
Didn't you eat the cream buns
Man-ki's father handed out?
And haven't we all enjoyed the floors
waxed with the candles he gave us?
But I still got 37 votes.
I say it was unethical of them
to not vote for Man-ki
after taking the stuff he gave them.
A real leader needs to have it all. Eh?
Both the material aspect,
as well as the moral.
You know?
But I got 37 votes.
Who cares how many votes you got?
You may as well have a hundred!
Because in the real world,
it doesn't matter a bit
who gets more votes!
I'm sorry, but between you and Man-ki,
there's a certain something
that just matters more. Understand?
[sniffles]
It'll be embarrassing for you
to get kicked out.
There's no shame in just resigning.
It's for the greater good.
Sometimes you have to lose to win.
[young Ae-sun crying]
A loser is still a loser.
And nothing I do will change that!
Why is this happening to me?
It's not fair!
Oh, cut it out!
Why are you chasing that crap?
Look at the posters of the men
running for office.
They're all going bankrupt for nothing.
[young Ae-sun] But the presidency is mine!
Give me back my presidency!
[crying continues]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[groans]
[grunts]
After that fit you threw,
I thought you'd never come see us again.
You know, if I'm being completely honest,
your household needs a rude awakening.
Did they want a daughter-in-law or a cow?
I mean, really, how the hell
are you gonna plow this field?
Well, I can't pay you.
[sighs]
Uh, will you just go? Go on!
My mother-in-law
would kill me if she found out.
Besides, you can just run away.
I'm afraid my ghost will be
haunting that family forever.
I can plow this for you
and get all the sesame as well.
I swear, I can't pay.
What, you don't believe me? Just look.
I have nothing.
Yes, you do. You know what I mean?
[chuckles]
-Huh?
-Do whatever you want with me.
Nothing will change the fact
that I'm penniless, okay?
Please. I don't want cash.
I'm after the thing.
Uh
Y Y You know.
[chuckles]
No way. Impossible.
Why not? Why not?
I'll plow the whole field for you.
And harvest all the rest too.
I'm doing all this.
You could at least let me borrow it.
There's no way in hell.
I don't even wear it. It's so pricey.
Listen, in just two days,
I'll plow this entire field.
We can pretend you borrowed a cow
or something, all right?
[jaunty piano music playing]
Come on.
Who lends their wedding jewelry out?
You should have asked for something
when you remarried.
Don't you know me by now?
I work harder than a cow.
[grunts]
[bell ringing]
[music fades]
STUPID ABALONE
THE LOYAL LEE FAMILY
BY LEE MAN-KI FROM CLASS 3-8
[Ae-sun's mom]
A loyal family. Yeah, right.
You think a child wrote this?
Obviously,
the parents did the whole thing.
[scoffs]
Hey.
Come look at these.
This one is clearly the best, hmm?
Who cares about the gold frame?
This one here is much better written.
Don't you agree?
[scoffs] Well, I see.
The general's son's always first, hmm?
The general's son
gets to be class president?
We all have to bow down
to the general's son?
Ho-ho! We'll see about that!
[scoffs]
[teacher] Excuse me, ma'am?
Are you Ae-sun's aunt?
-Please, have a seat.
-[Ae-sun's mom] Thank you.
MASTERMIND OF THE 3.15 ELECTION FRAUD
[teacher sighs]
So I'm not Ae-sun's aunt.
I'm her mother.
Oh, oh. Oh, of course.
She's always had a mom, just so you know.
Yes, right.
I was so busy making a living,
I never had the chance to visit you.
I brought along some rice cakes
for you to share with the students.
Hmm, you shouldn't have.
[tuts]
Actually, I brought these for a reason.
My daughter is
a very "presidential" vice president.
[clears throat]
She's also a first-place,
second-place winner.
[jaunty music playing]
What did my teacher say?
Did he admit I won?
Did he say I could be president again?
You got angry, didn't you?
Did you make a scene
like you did at Grandma's place?
I made a scene, all right.
He'll think twice
before opening his mouth.
Yes, well, the students and I
will enjoy these
Uh, my child is in your care,
and and I'm just trying
to make a decent living.
Of course.
I have 70 students in this class.
They're always so hungry,
as you can imagine.
So I'm not sure this will be enough
to share with everyone.
Well, I'm sure that all their parents
feel the same way I do.
Please, if you would,
take kindly to my daughter.
Does it make a difference
if I take kindly to her?
Every child has to earn it. Hmm.
The rice cakes might not be enough,
but surely, every parent on earth wants
their child to be loved by their teacher.
Uh, if I could have,
I would have brought a cow for you
if I had one.
But I got you these.
Oh, you didn't have to do that.
Ae-sun's teacher should keep
his feet warm. That's what I thought.
Nylon. They're nylon.
[sighs]
[chuckles]
[accordion music playing]
[sighs]
[chuckles]
She has manners.
[laughs]
[exhales sharply]
That's too much. She shouldn't have.
Did she go out of her way
to stop by the bank?
These are new bills.
[young Ae-sun] Why are you so dressed up?
[Ae-sun's mom] Because I didn't want
to smell like the sea.
I was always taught
to show my teachers respect,
so I didn't want me
or the rice cakes to smell salty.
Listen to your teacher.
It's the only way to get ahead.
Wouldn't it be great to make a living
sitting at a desk,
writing like your teacher does?
But he's not giving
my presidency back, is he?
He wants you to buy him something,
right? Like a broom?
Well, that's the "material" part, I guess.
You know, I've been thinking,
and vice president is better.
My title might have the word "vice"
in front of it,
but it's basically the same role.
I don't lead the class in the morning bow.
But otherwise, it's the same job.
When Lee Man-ki says, "Attention, bow,"
I say it to myself under my breath.
Honestly, vice president is better.
[gentle acoustic guitar music playing]
Ae-sun, your mom is not wealthy,
but you are you, okay?
Don't ever back down.
If you want it,
go and get it.
I won't back down if you won't, Ma.
When I'm all grown up,
you know the first thing I wanna do?
[gentle acoustic guitar music continues]
What's gotten into you?
I need to live a long life.
Today, my daughter promised me
that when she grows up,
she'll buy me a pearl necklace.
I can't miss out on that.
Oh boy. In which lifetime?
[Ae-sun's mom] Children grow up
before you know it.
I'll have my pearl necklace
in the blink of an eye.
It's not just children who grow up fast.
Before you know it, we'll be old too.
I just read it in the news.
The average life expectancy
of Koreans is 52.
I'm gonna beat that.
I'll be 70, enjoying all the rewards
that come with it.
And, you know, once I get there,
the little pain I'm in now,
it'll be laughable.
Just funny.
[laughing]
[feel-good music playing]
Hang on, but I didn't quit cigarettes.
You will from today.
[laughing]
Hey!
Very funny. Knock it off.
-Ah, ah, ah
-You gotta be kidding.
[both laugh]
[feel-good music continues]
[wind whistling]
[middle-aged Ae-sun]
Spring is oh-so-short.
Just as soon as it arrives,
the flower celebration
is over before we know it.
The heartless passage of time.
[woman humming]
-[bell ringing]
-[branch rustling]
Will you stop being so damn stubborn?
You can barely hold your breath.
You can't dive anymore.
You can all quit your nagging.
These walls will rot
before I let myself die.
[woman 5] You keep diving with
the smell the blood in your lungs.
You may as well dive with
a coffin on your back.
Death is all the same on land or sea.
Hey. Can't you see the Grim Reaper
standing right outside
your house over there?
He's standing there with his black cloak,
waiting for you.
If you go into the sea, that Grim Reaper
over there will follow you.
He'll peek his head under the waves
and snatch your soul right out of you.
If I was scared of him, I would never
have gone into the water.
Haenyeo's lives are one big gamble.
I've overcome death countless times
in the great blue ocean.
Are you just afraid?
Afraid your children will starve?
Gwang-rye. Haenyeo live and die together.
We'll make sure
you don't go hungry, please.
Enough! I won't die begging.
I'll die making another buck.
I won't stop
until my child has more than I had.
I can't die.
I won't die. [scoffs]
[woman] You know why ghosts haunt people?
Your regret will become anguish.
Then obsession will turn you into a ghost.
I'm not afraid of ghosts.
I fear for my children.
I will take everything I can
from the underworld
and give it to my children,
or I will die trying.
[Gyeong-ja] Well done.
She can't go diving without those clothes.
That little brat.
I should have never taken her back.
OH AE-SUN IS YANG GWAN-SIK'S WIFE
AE-SUN IS GETTING MARRIED
[sobs] Am I a beggar?
Do you think I'm a beggar?
[crying]
[gentle piano music playing]
[young Ae-sun crying]
You leave my mother alone!
Just please, leave her alone!
[sobs] What's wrong with you, Dragon King?
Why do you take the lives
of innocent people? Why?
[crying continues]
Show her some mercy, please!
You can't do this to her.
You can't do this to her.
My mom worked herself
to the bone her entire life.
She never even got on a plane.
I have to get her a pearl necklace.
I have to put her on a plane!
-[airplane engine roaring]
-I was gonna do it all for her!
Why?
Why?
[crying continues]
Why?
What's wrong with you?
Are you a ghost or what?
Why aren't you saying anything, Gwan-sik?
What do you want from me?
What? What?
Come here.
-What?
-Come!
Another fish?
You think nobody feeds me except for you?
[sniffles]
It's not fish. It's chicken.
We don't share our meat with just
anybody around here, you know?
[music fades]
Are you stupid?
You must be stupid.
Crying makes you hungry.
Do you feel sorry for me?
Is that what all the food is about?
If that were true,
I would've given that to a beggar.
You are always so annoying.
Hey.
I'm your elder.
Even if you brought me beef every day,
we still wouldn't get married.
Who says I want to?
She has to live. She has to.
What will happen
to her poor little children?
[Gwang-rye] Mother.
Mother.
Mother, can we go somewhere together?
I'm a little scared.
What is it?
Sh.
Is that you, Mom?
-[owl hooting]
-[pestle thumping]
It's like I'm in Aesop's Fable,
and I found the golden axe.
Hold on, am I the axe?
[young Ae-sun chuckles]
Are you going somewhere, Mom?
Why didn't you just wait until tomorrow?
If I had, the others would have stolen it.
You could have sold them
for a hundred won.
[blows]
Feeding you makes it worth a thousand won.
[young Ae-sun chuckles]
Ae-sun,
if I ever die
leave this house immediately.
Go to your uncle and beg for your life.
Don't stay here as their housekeeper.
[tender piano music playing]
No matter what, go.
Promise me.
[sobs] Don't
don't say that.
Stay there until your uncle
gives you away to your husband.
The thought of you walking down
the aisle alone would make me cry.
[sobs] Why are you telling me this?
You know I can't.
I won't sleep until you promise.
Dad is dead,
and now you're dying too.
Why is everyone dying?
I wish I'd never been born.
Ae-sun.
All parents have to die.
It happens to everyone.
But after our parents are gone,
their children live on.
I know you will too.
There will be days when life is hard.
Once in a while, there may be days
when you feel like
giving up on life altogether.
Stop. Stop talking like that.
I won't promise you.
I won't eat the abalone.
[crying]
Oh, my little girl.
When will you understand?
[both sobbing]
[middle-aged Ae-sun] The eldest daughter,
listening to her mother's dying wish,
was only ten years old.
Sleep, sleep, sleep well ♪
Sleep, sleep, sleep well ♪
Sleep well, darling baby ♪
Sleep well, sleep soon ♪
Black dog, go over yonder ♪
Black dog, go over yonder ♪
Help my baby sleep well ♪
I'll help your babies sleep well ♪
Sleep, sleep ♪
[middle-aged Ae-sun]
The mother who left three children behind
Sleep well, darling ♪
was but 29 herself.
Sleep, sleep, sleep well ♪
[insect buzzing]
Crying makes you hungry.
Eat while you cry.
What am I going to do now?
I don't know.
This morning
my mom died, and now she's gone.
[young Ae-sun sniffles, sighs]
I know she's gone.
But the thing is
[sniffles, sighs]
[young Ae-sun crying]
I miss her so much already.
[crying]
I already miss her so much.
Oh, Mom!
Oh, Mom, I miss you so much.
[both crying]
Mom!
Mom!
[Ae-sun's stepdad]
Ae-sun, Sun-nam, Sun-bong.
All your names have a "sun" in them.
That makes you a family.
Just look at you. Even a stray dog
wouldn't wanna marry you.
[Ae-sun's stepdad] You know,
it's yellowtail season right now.
I should be on a boat
trying to feed your younger siblings.
You'll just end up being a housekeeper
at your uncle's house.
Honestly, if you'll be one either way,
wouldn't you rather be a housekeeper
for your own siblings?
I won't be a housekeeper.
Mom told me not to live like that.
[groans] Ae-sun.
Your mom didn't want your siblings
to live as beggars on the street.
Just stay until yellowtail season is over.
Hmm?
[young Ae-sun] Why don't you use
this good piece of land?
Are you just gonna let it rot?
[Sun-bong crying]
[wistful music playing]
[Ae-sun's stepdad] Just stay
until Sun-bong is potty-trained, hmm?
Just stay until Sun-nam
goes to elementary school. Okay?
[Gwang-rye] Just you wait.
When the color
on your fingernails has faded,
you'll be through with grief
and ready to live.
I know you will.
The days will keep coming,
just as your fingernails keep growing.
-Soon enough, you'll forget.
-[music soars]
[Sun-nam] Look here. I made this.
Do you like it?
Your family is bankrupt, isn't it?
Where do you get those fish every day?
[Sun-nam] Here you go.
Right there.
Look at this.
Isn't it pretty?
[music fades]
[young Ae-sun] I'm moving out.
POEMS OF YU CHI-HWAN
[sighs, inhales sharply]
One last boat trip. Huh?
Just a few more deep-sea fishing trips
and I'll have a lifeline.
Other kids get tutoring and time to study.
I tend to the field and make food.
I wanna be first in the class too.
I just I just wanna
[sighs]
Never mind.
Korean literature, right?
Isn't that what you wanna study?
No, poetry! Poetry!
Ae-sun, you said
you'd become a poet. Didn't you?
Poets sure are great.
Aren't they? Like these.
Yi Sang, Kim So-wol, Yun Dong-ju.
They all studied Korean literature.
"If you can't stand the sight of me,
when you leave,
tread lightly but firmly
on your way past."
Help me to pave the way,
and you'll be studying Korean literature
before you know it, hmm?
[jaunty music playing]
If you think about it, who paid for
all your schooling so far, Ae-sun?
I'm not just any stepfather.
In fact, I'm practically your real father
at this point. Huh?
Help me make money
and send you to that damn college.
Hmm.
Your uncle wouldn't have sent you
to college anyway.
If that household was gonna
take care of you, they would have
On the mainland? A mainland school?
Mainland. College on the mainland.
You swear on your children's names?
I swear on my wife's name!
If I forgot the things you've done for us,
your mom would haunt me forever.
[TV] The movement to wear simple clothing
continues to be promoted in pursuit of
a more convenient and practical lifestyle
for the people.
When you're at your busiest
and need to hurry,
wearing long skirts can be cumbersome
and extremely uncomfortable.
The aim of this movement is to improve
such impractical aspects
of our daily lives.
For women everywhere,
our nation must be united in this effort.
SPY DETECTION CAMPAIGN PERIOD
[indistinct chattering]
[upbeat feel-good music playing]
ICE
YANG GWAN-SIK
-Would you like one?
-No, I'm here to buy a cabbage.
I know. Would you like a cabbage?
You're selling these cabbages?
They're, uh, very good.
Her cabbages.
They're good.
[Gyeong-ja] Come on, everybody!
Fresh fish straight out of the ocean.
It doesn't get any fresher than this!
Haenyeo! Haenyeo!
Haenyeo caught these fish!
Get your sea squirt here.
Abalone, extra fresh!
I'll give you a deal.
Why worry about Gwang-rye's daughter?
She has Steelheart by her side.
[laughter]
[woman 5 gasps] My goodness.
[laughs]
[bicycle bell rings]
Would you like a cabbage? They're good.
Would you like a cabbage?
[woman 5] Gwan-sik sells
all of Ae-sun's cabbages for her.
[radio] In today's top trends, women are
fearlessly shortening skirt lengths.
[Gwan-sik] The cabbage is good.
Would you like one?
[radio] In Myeong-dong, Seoul,
it's becoming common to see
women confidently walking around
with their thighs fully exposed.
[woman 5 laughs] Well, you know,
it wouldn't be wrong to say that
Gwan-sik is raising Ae-sun by himself.
[radio] Things have reached
the point where there are calls
to crack down on the trend
and reinstate long skirts.
They tell us to wear short clothes,
and now they're complaining about it?
In this broadcaster's opinion,
this is just a distraction from
the real problems this country is facing.
[Gwan-sik] Would you like a cabbage?
The cabbage is good.
Everything over there is good.
[woman 5] They're all good to you,
I'm sure.
Gye-ok, you've got some explaining to do
about that son of yours, eh?
Oh, lucky me.
[women laugh]
-So how much is the cabbage?
-One for 50 won. Three for 150.
Huh, that's not fair.
It's perfectly fair for three cabbages
to be 150 if one is 50.
OH AE-SUN
It's just math, you know.
Look, miss.
I didn't ask you how to buy my cabbages.
I want one, not three.
Well, lady, I don't make much
selling cabbages as it is,
and everyone wants a lower price.
I beat them to the punch this way.
Who wants to be punched
for doing their shopping? My gosh.
-All right.
-There he goes.
-One it is.
-Saves her yet again.
I gave birth to a dumbass.
I only want one, okay? That's it.
Sometimes, I wonder if that girl
has hands of her own.
I'm not forcing him.
He does it because he wants to.
No one's making me do a thing.
Oh God.
Should've raised a stray dog instead.
Better watch out.
Your grandma will kill you
if she catches you together again.
At that age,
they think they're invincible.
You think they're afraid of an old lady?
-[upbeat music playing]
-[chicken clucks]
[man] Chicken! My chicken!
[Ae-sun] Oh no.
Wait!
Out of my way!
Grandma!
Oh!
[gasps]
How many times have I told you
not to set up shop next to that girl?
Why do you keep coming
all the way out here?
Haven't you heard that daughters
take after their mothers? Huh?
I can't believe you let a girl
who has her mother's ghost following her
be near your baby.
Wake up!
That grandma needs Jesus.
I take after my dad, thank you very much!
Ah, you little brat, Ae-sun!
-Come back here, Ae-sun!
-Whoa, whoa!
-[woman 7] Damn you, girl!
-What did I do?
I told your grandson no!
-I said, "No, thank you." All right?
-[woman 7] Move aside.
-Just wait till I get my hands on you!
-[Gye-ok] Please, Mom. Let it go!
[gasps]
[grunts]
[upbeat music continues]
[Ae-sun] But no matter how many times
I said "No, thank you,"
eventually, there would be no going back.
[music ends]
[gentle pop ballad playing]
"THE SAME SKY, THE SAME STARS,
ETCHED IN THE SAME HEARTS."
[music fades]