When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025) s01e03 Episode Script

1
[opening theme music playing]
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU TANGERINES
[TV playing indistinctly]
[reporter] Are they spies?
They're not, are they?
Because I heard one of them
is from Busan, right?
[officer 2] Look, Mr. Kim,
these kids don't get to decide
what they are.
Namsan decides.
You ate everything.
Were you hungry?
[officer 1] Look down, you.
You think this is funny?
We keep feeding them.
That's why kids keep running away.
These hooligans will have to return
to Namsan and come back to their senses.
Couple of life sentences.
That would be patriotic.
Look at that.
They're in love.
[officer 1 chuckles]
Are you out of your mind, punk?
[scoffs] You're in the big city now,
Jeju boy.
Roll your sleeve down again.
So you think you can block a hit
from a big-city police officer, do ya?
-You little brat!
-Are you even in charge here?
[breathing nervously]
Are you who decides what happens to us?
Or do you answer to someone else?
Oh, how sweet. Double trouble.
[officer 1] Why you little
You hear this chick talk back to me?
How dare you?
Is that against the law?
Am I going to jail now?
Will I be serving a life sentence?
You're one of those girls, right?
A girl who smokes and wears miniskirts!
Am I going to Namsan for wearing skirts?
That lady reported us as runaways, right?
There's certainly nothing more
she could have accused us of.
[officer 1] More than what?
Did you steal something too?
What did you steal?
This boy and I are not sitting here in
this police station because we're thieves.
We're We are just sitting here
because we are just minors,
and we're in need of
Busan police protection.
All we need is to sit quietly
and wait for our guardians to pick us up.
-You expect special treatment?
-I expect you not to hit him.
[officer 2 scoffs, laughs]
This girl is a politician.
Oh my.
The Romeo and Juliet of Jeju Island.
So why aren't you calling
your mothers, then, huh?
There's no need for that.
The boy's mom has been
camping out front all day long.
[officer 1] What?
Tall and handsome.
And the naughty look.
There she is now.
Ma?
[breathing anxiously]
Mom.
[Gye-ok sighs]
The suitcase?
-Where is it?
-Huh?
-Where is my gold, huh? Huh?
-[Gwan-sik] Huh?
Damn it.
My gold. Good Lord. [sighs]
Where's my gold frog, huh?
Where's my golden frog?
[car horn honking]
[intriguing music playing]
Well? It's real gold, isn't it?
It is.
[laughing]
That husband of mine.
I swear, he does this
for every anniversary.
He just can't wait
to buy me something nice.
[both chuckle]
[store owner] Is that right?
Look, it's just,
our cabinet is practically
filled with jewelry.
I wanna get rid of what's out of fashion.
But they're still worth a lot.
Are they?
You gave me a good price the last time.
That was summer, and you said
it was your anniversary then.
So? Is your anniversary
in the summer or not?
At the time, you said
your husband got you a gold bracelet.
No, it's
it's in the spring.
Mm, I see.
Besides,
does it matter?
[woman] I hope you enjoyed your stay.
-[man] How much do I owe you?
-[woman] 300 won.
[Gye-ok] Give it to me.
-[woman] No, give it to me.
-[Gye-ok] Give it to me.
[woman] Give it to me.
-Don't mind her. I'll take that.
-Ah! Don't you dare give it to her.
-That money is mine.
-Hey!
I'm the owner here!
What would he pay you for? It's my motel.
It's her motel and my money.
I had a suitcase, and this woman stole it.
So I'm collecting the money
until her debt is paid.
She's lying. Give it here.
You know what? I'll come back later.
Wait, wait, wait, wait! Hold on.
Where are you going? Wait!
[screams] Damn it.
[sighs]
-What's your plan now?
-[groans]
You gonna spend the night?
You know why
we don't have thieves on Jeju Island?
Because Jeju hospitality is top-notch?
We wear them down.
We don't give in until they're broken.
We keep the pressure on until the victim
has driven the robber completely insane.
That's why we don't.
[hisses]
Wow. Damn Jeju witch.
[frustrated grunt]
[woman] You're the crazy one.
Do you hear me? You're the crazy one.
Just leave me alone! Damn you!
I'm taking back what I'm owed,
and that's all there is.
So I'll be here all day and night
until I've recovered
the full cost of my golden toad.
What?
Did you say your "toad"?
The cost of my golden toad, yeah.
Really? Ah!
So the gold frog is a gold toad now?
Not when I saw it!
You really stepped in it now.
She's got you there, Mom.
Better give her the frog back.
[sighs]
I'll take your word for it.
Toads are bigger anyway.
Oh, I see. You think you can rob me, eh?
I'll bet you have a criminal history,
don't you?
-[scoffs]
-Maybe we should call the cops.
-Just wait, you
-What the
-You want me to call the cops?
-Hey, ladies!
-Do you?
-Call them!
-Knock it off!
-What the hell do you want?
[quirky music playing]
[both panting]
Did you think we wouldn't check
the jewelry store? Sheesh.
[sighs]
You do realize this makes ten offenses?
Come on, think of your child for once.
Let's go.
Don't take anyone from Jeju
while I'm gone.
[officer 2] Take her away.
-Get your hands off me.
-Take her away.
[Gye-ok] Good Lord.
She's committed ten offenses?
[woman] Oh, get your hands off me!
Ain't she a handful?
Ay, ay, ay.
[music fades]
[woman grunts]
Hey, you brats!
You're gonna pay for that fan.
You hear me? You're gonna pay.
Did you have a circus in there or what?
How'd you even break it
in the first place?
You're a couple of filthy animals!
-Hey, stop pushing me!
-[siren wailing]
[upbeat music playing]
[chuckles]
Ta-da!
[music fades]
[sighs]
[Gye-ok] Bought the tofu already?
[Gwan-sik] Uh, no.
I didn't buy the tofu.
A girl bought it for us.
Your, uh,
birthday rings weren't in the bag.
Did you not take them when you left?
Everything we took was in the bag.
[groans] I can't believe this.
You're just like your dad.
Both of you, just like dogs.
Ae-sun, let's take you home.
[upbeat music resumes]
My girl, you've really done it this time.
YESTERDAY WAS YOUR SPRING
You will never hear the end of this one.
FACULTY OFFICE
[teacher 1] She should've just left
on her own.
Did she have to drag down
the boy with her?
-[bell dings]
-[whistle blows]
[teacher 2] That boy is one of
the top four runners in all of Jeju.
[teacher 3] Well, she's
the poet of class eight?
[teacher 1] Poet, my foot.
Did she run away
with her boyfriend for poetry?
[sobs]
[sighs]
POEMS OF YU CHI-HWAN
HANDKERCHIEF OF ETERNAL NOSTALGIA
EXPULSION NOTICE
OH AE-SUN
DUE TO AN UNAUTHORIZED RUNAWAY
AND DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR
[man] You've completely
ruined your life with this.
Everyone on this island knows
everything about everybody.
I can't even show my face at the factory.
Now you've gone and dragged
this family's name through the mud.
Like your son painted it gold.
You can't compare him with her.
No, when a man is
financially unsuccessful,
he may lose a house, but that's different.
Why do you insist on bringing him up?
Did he run a business,
or did he gamble it away?
And now what? Huh?
What are you gonna do now?
You won't work at a factory.
You can't get married.
Will you live here as a spinster?
[sighs]
What about him?
What did that awful boy say?
[melodic piano music playing]
[grunts, pants]
Look there.
See the grandmother who raised you
since you were a baby?
Look what you've done to her!
Is it just you that matters?
What would the ancestors think?
I'm the one marrying her.
Not the ancestors.
[man] What would they think about it?
That Gwan-sik brought home an orphan wife
with only a middle-school degree?
Who brings a daughter-in-law like that
into a high-class family?
Only a middle-school degree?
That's right. You think
they'd give her a high school diploma
after that stunt you pulled?
Go on! Live there if you want.
Let your dreams die.
Live there as his fiancée.
There are all kinds of rumors
spreading about you two.
Good luck now marrying anybody else!
[Yi-suk] She can't go over there.
Their grandmother
She was so upset, she fainted.
Congratulations,
that's the best thing yet.
You nearly killed a grandmother too.
On top of sneaking out at night
and completely wrecking your life.
[scoffs]
It was only a suspension.
Oh yeah? That's good for you.
But why is she Why did they
Why is she expelled from school?
You can't even do soldering
without a high school diploma, damn it.
-But why is she the only one?
-[woman] Is it possible you don't know?
You both ran away,
but it's brave when a boy does it.
When a girl acts out of love,
it's frivolous.
Did you ruin her life
because you didn't know any better?
It was my idea.
This idiot just followed along.
You deserve him.
[man] Take him off the family registry.
Take him off.
No one's punishing my baby.
Ae-sun should get punished.
You don't tear down the house
because you find a maggot.
What can we do about someone else's kid?
It's our boy who's head over heels.
[spits] Mark my words.
When I get my hands on her,
I'll beat that girl real good.
No, you won't. What would that accomplish?
You never got anywhere with me
by pulling my hair.
So what? I lost you.
I won't lose my grandson.
If you wanna coax a chicken
out of its coop,
you don't go in and beat it with a stick.
You have to lure it out with some worms.
If you chase after it, it's gone for good.
They really locked you up with a spoon.
Good Lord.
[tuts]
Oh well.
Oh. Oh my.
Do they at least give you things to eat?
Yes.
They do. I'm not skipping any meals.
[Gye-ok scoffs]
Oh. [chuckles]
Well, that's good to hear.
My Gwan-sik, he hasn't eaten a thing.
Why? Is he on a hunger strike?
Oh, he would never.
His father told me
not to feed him a grain of rice.
Ae-sun, you know
I'd love to do something about this.
But you know his grandma.
She's always laying down the law.
I married into the headstrong Yang family,
and to this day,
I'm still paying the price.
You know how stubborn the Yangs can be.
Remember how Gwan-sik gave your family
a fish every day for ten years?
Goodness.
I gave your family cabbages sometimes.
Where do you think Gwan-sik
gets that stubbornness?
From his father, of course,
and now his father
is trying to get him
entirely cut out of the family.
Goodness.
You know, he's really quite
a tiny man on the inside.
But once I was so crazy about him,
we ran away together.
[sighs]
See, things don't stay
so lovey-dovey for long.
Right until the wedding day,
I believed him when he said
I was the only one for him.
But as soon as we were married,
he became a mama's boy
like you wouldn't believe.
So think about it.
You would feel so lonely in our household.
Mrs. Yang?
Yes, my dear?
I wanted to ask you something,
if I could?
[sentimental music playing]
[sighs]
We can't afford to marry her off.
No one's happy about it.
But we can't. Not one silver spoon.
I'd still love her, with or without.
Your family? Do they approve of her?
Your grandmother's a shaman.
You've heard what she says about the girl.
She says she carries
her mother's ghost around with her.
On this island, we don't believe
in God or Buddha but the Dragon King.
Ignore his shamans at your own risk.
[sighs]
Ae-sun will live with me.
She won't live with my grandmother.
I can guarantee she'll never hurt her.
How you gonna do that? You moving out?
You got a house I don't know about?
What are you doing?
Who said you had to take care of me?
I'm not a rotten fish to get cheap.
You keep her in there
with the fermenting jars?
Just forget it already.
The least I can do is to save my pride.
I want to marry you.
Why? Because you think
it'll never happen for me if you don't?
I'm going to marry a man
who's richer than you and
and a lot hotter,
and he'll have a nicer family than you.
He's mad enough to take you.
-Don't turn him down.
-Just watch me.
I'll never marry him.
I'll turn him down a million times.
You just watch!
[lively upbeat music playing]
[groans]
[man] Hey, waitress. Bring us some tea.
Ko-hyang, give them some tea.
Yes, ma'am.
Oh, welcome back, sir.
So you raised two siblings
practically all by yourself?
Based on that experience alone,
I already approve of you.
Okay.
[slurping loudly]
So I heard you were
after a man from Seoul.
You know [sniffles]
I'm practically from Seoul myself.
After Korea's independence,
I got an education on the mainland
as good as any in Seoul.
Had I not moved here after I got married,
I could've been another Kim Du-han.
My first marriage
at the start.
Are we getting that tea today?
Don't worry too much about what I think.
I mean, who says that it's wrong to love?
[crunching]
And, sure, I heard a few things
about your past through the grapevine,
but still,
I'm quite determined to seal the deal.
[wistful music playing]
I've crossed the Pacific many times,
so your little jaunt
isn't such a big deal to me.
As a man practically from Seoul,
I don't care what you did in the past.
I heard second marriages work out better.
The parties have an understanding.
Honestly, the idea of getting married
to another virgin would be just
such an inconvenience.
You're not going to drink it?
It cost 50 won, Ae-sun.
[rain pattering]
Sure, he's been married before,
but he owns boats.
And not just one boat either.
Why, you can't look in the harbor
without seeing one of them.
And on and on top of everything,
he'll pay for you to go to school.
Within ten years, at least.
And if you really please them,
they might even give you funds
to publish your own book of poetry.
It's only two kids.
At least it's not three.
[Ae-sun sighs]
I guess I'm born
to merely be a housekeeper.
Oh gosh.
The spring rain sure is lasting a while.
It must be the tears of my mother.
Maybe she's crying because this is
how I'm gonna get married.
[music fades]
Gwang-rye is spinning in her grave!
[grunts]
You've completely ruined the girl's life,
but apparently, you still like your rice!
If you're so upset for her,
then you can marry your son to Ae-sun.
How about that?
But why are you making her a second wife?
It's obvious that both of your families
are desperate to get rid of her.
[frustrated sigh]
Mak-cheon, you may be a shaman,
but you have no right
to punish another family's girl.
If you force Ae-sun to marry that man,
I'll never believe another word you say.
We need goodness of the heart, I tell you.
Goodness of the heart!
Will you shut up?!
Ae-sun's getting married?
[disgusted groan]
MADAM BAEK GI-NAM'S 60TH BIRTHDAY
Is that really
what you're giving my family?
A used gift set?
[man] This is American-made.
Well, made in Korea, but close enough.
Besides, it's all the same
once they eat it, right?
I can't stand
all these meaningless formalities.
The whole wedding business is just
one useless formal gesture after another.
Just a way of robbing people
of their money. Huh?
Honestly, the white dress
doesn't really matter to me.
That's for first weddings.
We can just look nice
and take a few pictures.
Seeing as, technically,
it's not the first time for either of us.
[clears throat]
So, speaking of,
I was actually curious about something.
So, uh
Mm.
About Busan.
Does your mother know about this?
[Yi-suk] Oh my.
You must've cleared out your entire store.
-Good Lord.
-[Yi-suk] This isn't a gift. It's robbery.
[Gwan-sik] I'll make sure
Ae-sun never goes hungry.
I can give her a mackerel
at least once a day.
It isn't wartime anymore.
No one's worried about starving.
Aren't you her grandmother?
Aren't you her uncle?
I knew something was up
when you refused to give her any croaker.
What do croakers have to do with anything?
She'd be his second wife!
-He's 30 years old!
-[sighs]
[Gwan-sik] Why would you give Ae-sun
to a man like him?
Even if Shin Seong-il himself proposed,
he wouldn't be good enough!
Shin Seong-il would never take her,
that's why.
How come everyone is trying
to throw her out
[Gwan-sik sobbing]
[whimpers, sobs]
when she's so smart, speaks so well,
looks so beautiful?
Why?
Why? Why?
Yell a bit louder.
[frustrated groan]
Let us stay together.
I've been giving her fish for years
and selling her cabbages all this time.
You know I love Ae-sun
more than anyone else in the world.
So much more than you,
so why can't I have her?
[Ae-sun's uncle]
What am I supposed to do about it?
You want me to tie her up or what?
Should I put a yolk on her?
Should I force her
to marry you, Yang Gwan-sik?
She says she doesn't want you.
Her mind's made up!
When a cow decides to rebel,
no matter what you try to do to force it,
you can never make it plow again.
What's wrong what's wrong with her?
Ask your mother about that.
She convinced her not to marry you.
So, in Busan, were you
caught the day you arrived?
Or did you spend the night together?
These days,
couples do all kinds of things,
even if they don't
spend the night together.
What about you, Captain?
With your first wife,
was it you who left her,
or did you or did you
get tired of each other?
[scoffs]
-You've got some attitude, huh?
-Yes.
Yes, I do.
And I don't appreciate
being addressed that way.
Does that boy know this side of you?
-Would he still like you?
-That's why he likes me.
-[scoffs]
-[footsteps approaching]
[Ae-sun's uncle] Hey, kid!
Get back here before you ruin someone's
Too late.
It's a party now.
-Uh
-Hold on. Stop right there.
What do you want?
-What now?
-Let's go.
I said let's go.
Where? Where are we going?
Where could we go?
Listen here, you little punk!
This is no way to behave in front
of adults, you snot-nosed, rude
Nobody asked you, okay?
Don't go. Marry me.
Take this ring, and it's a done deal.
What deal? Can we live off this ring?
Are we running away again?
Becoming thieves?
Are you really gonna marry this guy?
Why would you? I don't get it.
It's a second marriage.
He has two kids.
I don't get why. Tell me why.
You're right. Why's it me?
Why always Ae-sun?
Why do I get the blame?
Why was I expelled?
Why does everybody think I'm the worst?
[tender piano music playing]
It's gone to crap. Poetry?
College?
Right. Now, that's all over.
I can't make a living
with no high school degree.
I said I'll take care of you.
-No matter what, I'll find a way.
-How exactly?
What have you done for me
except follow me around everywhere
and toss me an old fish
every now and then?
-I'm not a beggar!
-You were just ten years old.
We were just little kids.
We were children.
He can provide,
and he can send me to college.
-He'll let me be a poet.
-I can do that!
I'll work on boats. I'll lay down bricks.
-I'll do anything!
-No, I don't want you! I don't!
[grunts]
[breathing shakily]
If we get married,
the last chance I have will be over.
What?
I'm tired of having to fight
every single day,
of sticking up for myself,
living with a family that doesn't want me.
I want to be rich.
I want to be comfortable.
And if I marry you,
I I'll just face more abuse.
They all know what I've been.
But if I marry him, I'll finally be free.
Free from you, Gwan-sik,
'cause you know know me and everything.
I feel so
[sobs]
so ashamed.
I've been living in shame my whole life.
[young Gwan-sik]
There's an extra one for free.
[man] Did your mom say that?
Well, did she?
You have six people in your family,
but for some reason, you only buy five.
[man] Think you're rich enough
to give them away, is that it?
Mind your own business.
Damn that little runt.
[young Ae-sun] You saw it all. [sobs]
Oh, Mom.
Oh, Mom, I miss you so much.
[Ae-sun] Go to Busan, he said.
He told me to go work at a factory.
I don't have a home anymore.
[Ae-sun sobs]
[Ae-sun] You know everything about me.
Do you want me trapped in it forever?
If you stay here
I'll never be happy, married or not.
If you care about me, let me live my life.
[music fades]
Let me live without you.
Are you saying
that I'm in your way, Ae-sun?
Gwan-sik.
Gwan-sik, this is what needs to happen.
If you want me to live my life
you have to leave.
[melancholy string music playing]
[Gwan-sik sobs]
[Ae-sun's daughter] At 18,
she stared into
the eyes of her first love,
knowing she may never see him again.
[music soars]
She buried that pure love
in the yellow field of spring
and broke her own dreams.
[sobs] My ring.
[crying]
My ring.
[music fades]
They say that working a field
is more rewarding than parenting a child.
You sure never tried it with me, Ae-sun.
Nothing special
for your little sister-in-law.
When she splits the eggs,
she always gives you the bigger one.
Like, every single time.
There you go again with that talk.
Mom, why'd you marry
into a family like this anyway?
I chose my own path, dear. Nobody else.
I'd never decide to live like you did.
Like, never. Never.
I'm going to marry a man from Seoul
for sure, no matter what.
I'd never marry a man who doesn't know
what "nostalgia" is. Never!
[chuckles]
Well, you know what they say,
"Never say never," eh?
[wistful music playing]
Honestly, don't you regret it a little?
No, of course not.
If I hadn't met your father,
I wouldn't have any of you.
Come on. Not as our mother.
As Oh Ae-sun.
Eat your chicken.
What? Say something.
Would Oh Ae-sun regret it?
Do you ever think about
what could have been?
Oh Ae-sun.
[tender piano music playing]
If you really want to know
she was forever broken that spring.
[ship horn blares]
[people cheering]
-[cheering continues]
-[indistinct shouting]
[indistinct chattering]
[patron] Oh, it's perfect.
The handle is really
Oh my goodness.
Kids, don't touch them. They'll die, okay?
Give us some good ones.
Don't use up the leftovers on the locals.
Gwang-rye,
will you please stop crying already?
Look at you there.
You're sending away your precious son.
May he get to shore and find himself
a wife from a noble family.
[Gye-ok scoffs]
[Mak-cheon] So we tried it your way
and fed worms to the chicken.
I'm impressed, my dear.
I really am. You did great.
I'm a bit frightened of you too.
[Ae-sun] Mrs. Yang?
I wanted to ask you something, if I could?
Go ahead.
You can talk to me
like you would with your own mother.
Uh, is it true
that Gwan-sik is one of
the fastest four runners on Jeju Island?
Is he is he really
that close to winning medals?
I think if he could focus on it,
he probably could've won medals, yes.
He's not even really in fourth place.
He's practically third.
Honestly, it's pretty much neck and neck.
What a total and utter idiot.
Uh, do you guys usually
talk to each other that way?
He said he was only
in athletics for the food.
He never said he was actually good.
[sobs]
How can he follow me around for ten years
without telling me he likes athletics?
He always lets me go on and on
about becoming a poet, while he
while he
Boys from the Yang family are like that.
Because they always assume
they shouldn't express their own opinions.
[sighs]
[breathes deeply]
Ae-sun.
Gwan-sik
will lose everything if he stays with you.
He will lose his dreams
as well as his family.
You know what it means to be lonely,
don't you?
Huh?
[tender piano music playing]
Don't take this away from Gwan-sik.
Let him live his life
to its fullest potential.
Ae-sun.
Let him live his life,
okay?
Are you saying
I'm standing in his way?
Are you saying
that I'm in your way, Ae-sun?
[ship horn blares]
[bells dinging]
[passenger] I love you!
I love you!
-[hissing]
-[ship horn blaring]
[cheering]
[coach] Gwan-sik!
Here.
Oh, don't look so down.
I've been coaching for ten years,
and none of my students ever ran
a hundred laps 'cause I told 'em to.
You're the first one to take me up on it.
Your mother is going to sell fish
so you can go study on the mainland.
So let's train hard
and win a gold medal for her, eh?
Once you win a gold medal,
you'll forget all about that girl.
You know that gold medals
Yeah?
aren't pure gold?
Huh?
Why should I work so hard
for something that's not pure gold?
I don't need one anymore.
What, is your life over?
You've been going on and on about
going to the mainland and winning gold.
I said that 'cause
because Ae-sun wanted to leave the island.
Are you telling me
your only purpose in life is this Ae-sun?
That's right.
Come on, get up. Get up!
The hundred laps,
I I only ran them because of Ae-sun.
I can't get to Seoul selling fish.
School grades aren't good enough.
So I thought being good at sports
was my only shot.
Who wants to do that?
-Come on, stand up.
-I actually hate athletics.
And that's the truth.
-What?
-I'm not cut out for it.
They could give me a box of gold.
I'll never finish above fourth.
Without her, I wouldn't have done it.
[gasps]
You crazy bastard.
Then why are you going to Seoul right now?
[Ae-sun] Gwan-sik,
this is what needs to happen.
If you want me to live my life,
you have to leave.
[ethereal music playing]
[clock ticking]
[music fades]
[ticking fades]
I'm a modern man, you know?
I'm willing to forgive you.
Any other family
would've shown you the door.
How dare that boy speak to me that way?
He's a nobody.
God!
When all his family does
is run a tiny little fishmonger?
He doesn't even own anything,
that impudent little punk.
The store isn't that tiny.
-What?
-I said it isn't that tiny. His store.
Well, well,
you think just because I'm nice to you,
that gives you the right
to speak to an adult that way?
Then why is an adult marrying a child?
[chuckles] Listen, you brat.
-Don't speak rudely to me.
-Watch yourself.
I'm really starting to think you don't
fully appreciate your situation here.
I can't speak my mind to a girl
whose tuition I'm going to pay?
It's not like I'm marrying
the virgin daughter of a wealthy family.
Keep your damn money, then.
I don't want it.
Really?
Wait, wait, are you serious?
[Ae-sun sobs] What about college?
What about being a poet in the mainland?
[emotional piano music playing]
Well, I think that
that my family should pay for me to go.
Hold on now. I I thought that
you were marrying me to go to college.
Why else would you marry me?
I said, why else would you marry me?
'Cause I don't
have anywhere else.
What?
'Cause there's nothing else I can do.
[young Ae-sun] I'm going to do it all.
[laughs] And I mean all of it.
I'm going to be the chief
of the fishing village,
and then I'll be president
five times in a row.
-[laughter]
-All right. Go on, do it!
This country could use
a haenyeo president for once.
I can't believe that she wasn't a boy.
How can a girl
with such a tiny little face
have such giant potential? You tell me.
If she has such talent,
what choice does she have?
-She'll have to be president.
-[laughs]
Go ahead.
You already have eight votes from us.
[laughs]
[young Gwan-sik] Nine votes.
[woman 6] That's right. Nine votes.
What grade did you get in math?
When you grow up, what will you be?
[sniffles]
What are you asking him for?
[young Gwan-sik] The First Gentleman.
The First Gentleman.
[laughter]
What did he say? [laughs]
Goodness.
Oh, stop it.
[woman 4] Too much.
[woman 3] Aw.
[woman 5] So cute together.
[emotional piano music continues]
[clock ticking]
[breathes anxiously]
The truth is, I'm getting married
because I have nowhere else.
I have nowhere to go. I can just die.
But they say you're better off living
on a pile of dog crap than dead.
I'm the pile of dog crap?
Hey, can't you just hire me or something?
I'll be a housekeeper.
I'm worth it, I swear.
[laughing]
[scoffs]
Look, if I'm getting married,
I'm already getting
a housekeeper for free.
Why would I hire you?
You may be the queen of love,
but not everyone dreams about
marrying their soulmate.
I just want a normal wife.
I want a humble daughter-in-law
and a frugal mother to my children.
Jeez.
You know what? I only met my ex-wife
five times before we got married.
That's how a lot of people do it.
Why are you making this such a big deal?
God.
You know what? Stop.
Just give us the cheapest one.
[clock chiming]
Now, I want you to tell me the truth.
You slept with him, didn't you, Ae-sun?
[emotional music playing]
[crying]
Good riddance, you crazy brat, you.
[Ae-sun's daughter]
If she hadn't run that day
if she hadn't run
[ship horn blares]
[Gye-ok] Come on, Gyeong-ok.
Let's go home.
[ship horn blaring]
[woman 5] It's raining cats and dogs.
Thank goodness this trouble is over.
Their feelings will fade with distance.
Mark my words.
Yeah, you know what they say.
Once a broken heart,
always a broken heart.
That's what they say at least.
[Ae-sun] Gwan-sik!
Gwan-sik!
Gwan-sik!
[emotional music continues]
[Ae-sun] Where are you going?
[crying]
Don't leave me!
Please don't leave me here alone!
-Oh dear.
-[Ae-sun] Gwan-sik!
What could be stronger than young love?
[Ae-sun] Yang Gwan-sik!
Yang Gwan-sik!
[ship horn blares]
Hey, Yang Gwan-sik!
[pants, sobs]
-[ship horn blares]
-[coach] Wow, that sure is loud!
[ship horn blares]
[passenger] Ae-sun. [echoes]
Ae-sun.
Careful, you're gonna fall.
Come on up. [groans]
My baby.
[loud clang]
[thud echoes]
[ship horn blares]
[high-pitched tone]
[Ae-sun muffled] Yang Gwan-sik!
Yang Gwan-sik! [sobs]
[ship horn blares]
[Ae-sun] Yang Gwan-sik!
[melodic music playing]
Yang Gwan-sik!
Yang Gwan-sik!
Yang Gwan-sik!
[Ae-sun sobs]
Please don't go!
Don't go!
[crying]
[crying continues]
My goodness. That crazy brat.
-Hey, don't you have a heart?
-Mind your own business, woman!
[grunts angrily]
Leave her alone.
Let her scream if she wants.
[Ae-sun crying]
Why do you take everything away?
Why do you take everything away?
[crying continues]
Oh, Mom!
Mom!
[melodic music continues]
-[wind gusting]
-[rain pattering]
Ah.
What's going on?
Is someone kicking the Dragon King?
Why are the winds so strong
all of a sudden?
Ah. Hey!
We got some headwinds, everyone.
Turn this boat around!
You have to turn it around!
-[coach] We're at sea!
-Turn this boat around!
Please turn it around!
-You've got to turn it around. Sir!
-[coach] Come on, kid!
[man] Get out of here!
Sir, please! Please turn the boat around!
-I'm begging you!
-Get out!
-Please! It'll just be a second!
-[coach] You're crazy!
Let me go! Turn it around, please!
Why is that little crazy lunatic
on my boat again?
Please, Captain, please!
You have to turn it around!
[coach grunts]
-Please, I have to go back!
-Gwan-sik!
Are you insane?
You think you're gonna die
without her or what?
[thunder rumbling]
[emotional string music playing]
[Ae-sun's daughter]
That day, if she hadn't run
[Ae-sun crying]
if she hadn't run
[woman 6] You're destroying those kids.
Don't you remember
what happened to Romeo and Juliet?
People don't die from broken hearts.
Once the boat leaves,
they're in the hands of the Dragon King.
There's nothing else we can do for them.
Let's go.
Ae-sun, come on.
I'll make you something with pork.
Pork is better than boys, sometimes.
Oh my.
[music soars]
[Ae-sun's daughter]
If she hadn't run that day
Is that the signal for a man overboard?
Did did someone go over the side?
Hey, Ma.
-He jumped. He jumped in the ocean.
-What?
He jumped.
-He just jumped in the ocean.
-Hmm?
So people don't die from broken hearts?
If he has so much going for him,
why would he jump off the side?
-[Mak-cheon groans]
-[Gye-ok] Oh no. Mom! Oh no!
Hey.
[breathing shakily]
[Ae-sun's daughter] That day,
if she hadn't run as fast as she could
Oh!
Look at him. What is he, a whale?
How in the world can he swim like that?
[Ae-sun's daughter]
If she hadn't run that day
[upbeat pop music playing]
would she have been able
to outrun her destiny?
[breathing heavily]
U-turn!
U-turn!
[all cheering]
Let's go!
-U-turn, Gwan-sik!
-That's my boy. Let's go!
Go, go, go, go!
[panting, gasping]
[cheering]
You fool! Why did you teach him to swim?
[woman 5 laughs]
Let's send the boy to the North as a spy!
[upbeat pop music continues]
[Ae-sun's daughter] But in the end,
destiny was a stubborn thing.
[breathing anxiously]
[both panting]
[Ae-sun sobs happily]
Oh! Oh!
Oh my goodness!
Are you okay?
[Ae-sun sobbing]
[music stops]
I have to pay for this outfit.
I have money.
I have money.
What did he say?
I don't know.
He just eats sugar cubes all day.
[both sob]
[upbeat pop music resumes]
Have you ever seen anything like that?
I mean, just look at that.
This is even better than Romeo and Juliet.
Well, you know
that there are certain things
the heavens up there above us
can't possibly stop from unfolding
either way, Gye-ok.
And then,
when the day of fate finally arrives,
it's better to just get out of the way.
[woman 6] Looks like
neither family could stop it.
There's no reward for parenting, is there?
[Gye-ok sighs]
[sniffles]
-[music ends]
-[sniffles]
Hey, you wanna know something?
Your parents ran away as kids.
Is that true, Mom?
[middle-aged Ae-sun]
Your auntie is drunk again.
Those two caused such a ruckus
that all of the seas between Jeju
and Busan were shaken by it.
You're drunk
and confusing me with your mom.
That was her. I never ran away anywhere.
But it's funny, isn't it?
What happened in Busan?
That's it, you're going home.
Come on, get up.
What happened?
It only took two days
for them to get caught.
-[middle-aged Ae-sun] Stop it!
-Just think.
All right, drink some water.
Let's get you sobered up, all right?
There we are.
Hey, hey, can you call her husband
to come pick her up?
I just said that Busan is a fertile land.
You were such a gift.
Gyeong-ok, I'm going to call
your husband here, all right? Come on.
You're the reason
they moved out, you know.
You were born eight months
after the wedding,
even though they were caught
in only two days. [laughs]
Like I said, Busan is a fertile land.
You were a gift.
Clearly, you were conceived in Busan,
not in Jeju.
[middle-aged Ae-sun sighs]
[Gyeong-ok] It was spring, wasn't it?
It was spring.
Spring has a way with people.
[Ae-sun's daughter] Spring on Jeju Island
is always too short
but never lacking in spirit.
[slurred] I think we should have,
like, uh,
three babies?
I think three would be perfect.
So, if we're going to pay,
listen, pay for their education,
we need to do this strategically
and plan how we live.
Mm.
Like General MacArthur?
So, strategically,
we should try to have a daughter first.
And then a son, and then
We don't have time.
Huh?
No time.
[upbeat accordion music playing]
[Gyeong-ok laughing]
[Gyeong-ok] Were you having
a wild circus in there or what?
How did you manage to break
the fan on the wall?
[laughing]
Even my own mother thinks that
Yang Gwan-sik and Oh Ae-sun broke the fan.
[middle-aged Gwan-sik]
Hey, get out. Get out, you little brat.
Get out of my house.
Everybody would call you "Dia"
when she was pregnant with you
because that's the brand of soju
they drank in Busan
Hey. It's time to go home. You're drunk!
You're the ones who ran away,
so why take it out on me?
You're the one who came into my home today
and ate all our chicken.
-Go on. Go back to your house.
-[Gyeong-ok] There's chicken left.
-Don't tell me to leave.
-Okay. We'll pack it for you, all right?
Put on your jacket. Get out of here.
-[Ae-sun] Geum-myeong. Look over here.
-[Gwan-sik laughs]
[Ae-sun] One, two, three.
[camera shutter clicks]
[both laughing]
Look at her little head.
It's so round, isn't it?
[Ae-sun] Aw, look at you.
Oh, how do you know
how to smile like that?
-Mm.
-[Gwan-sik] Yeah
-[Ae-sun] Goodness.
-Mm.
-A cutie pie.
-She is.
A cute little brat.
A cute little brat kept Mommy at home.
[Geum-myeong crying]
[Gwan-sik] Okay. Aw. [chuckles]
Oh, coochie-coo. Oh, come on.
What's so important about college
after this beauty, hmm?
I already have
the whole entire world right here.
This little girl will be my inspiration.
Won't you? [chuckles]
Oh. Sh.
[sighs] Hi.
Hi. Mm.
Sh.
[man on radio]
won first place in the 400 meters
[Ae-sun] Aw.
The young man, named Jo O-ryeon,
seemingly appeared out of nowhere
and expressed his desire to win
the gold medal at the Bangkok Asian Games.
[tender acoustic guitar music playing]
You're not upset?
That you aren't a champion
like Jo O-ryeon?
[Gwan-sik] What's a gold medal to me
when I have Geum-myeong?
My only dream is this little thing.
[Ae-sun chuckles]
[Geum-myeong]
The springtime of their lives
passed by so quickly.
FLAG
THIS IS A SILENT OUTCRY
By the age of 18,
Mom lost her dream and started a family.
By the age of 19,
Dad gave up being a gold medalist
for his daughter Geum-myeong.
-Maybe she'll be a soccer player.
-[Ae-sun chuckles]
[Gwan-sik] Look at her legs.
You know what?
I hope she becomes
a teacher of literature, Gwan-sik.
I wonder what she'll become.
[Ae-sun] I wonder.
[Geum-myeong] Springtime for them
wasn't a season to realize their dreams,
but to give them up for good.
And they did it willingly.
GEUM-MYEONG, OUR ETERNAL NOSTALGIA
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU TANGERINES
Hello. Mind answering a few questions?
-Oh.
-Yes.
So you're here to see the flowers today.
What's going through your mind?
[man] Well, the flowers remind me
of my first love.
[reporter] Ah, first love. Of course.
[woman] Go live with her, then.
-[reporter] Oh, okay.
-Hye-ran. That's dirty. It's dirty.
Thank you for the interview.
-Okay, so let's have another interview.
-Hye-ran, it's dirty. It's dirty.
Come here. Let's go.
[reporter] Oh, hello.
You must be newlyweds.
-[man 2] Yes, that's right.
-[reporter] Congratulations.
[wistful music playing]
These ones aren't my grandmother's.
They're mine, you know?
Your birthday rings aren't yours.
They're your mother's.
But I really wanted a ring
to propose to her, and
[groans] You're both so stubborn.
Don't look at me like that.
I actually snuck out for this, so, uh
If you could finish by tomorrow
You expect me to work all night
just because you said please, kid?
All right, leave them.
No girl will live with a man
who won't give her a ring.
Is the toilet clean?
Huh? Yeah.
It's completely fine.
A new ring, a new dress.
This will be
a real celebrity wedding, huh?
Is this the one you want?
[Gye-ok] You're not walking down
the runway at a fashion show.
Just rent out an outfit. My goodness.
Whatever you want.
It's up to you what to wear.
[groans] With a hat that big,
you might as well join the circus.
If you want it, take it.
[Gye-ok] Goodness gracious.
[Gwan-sik] You like it?
[Ae-sun] Mm.
I'll expect you wanna move out?
If you have the money, go ahead.
What should I do with my hair?
Should I put it up under the hat
or wear it down?
Huh?
[Ae-sun] My hair.
Should I put my hair up or wear it down?
-Well, don't you think
-Uh-huh?
Mm, are you sure,
years from now,
you won't regret the hat?
Why?
I just think it could,
uh,
embarrass you maybe?
[scoffs]
So you're a fashion expert now?
Have you even heard of André Kim?
No, not really.
If you're moving out,
do it as soon as possible.
Oh my gosh.
-Hmm? Mm.
-[Gwan-sik chuckles]
Hey. Can we have
quail noodle soup after this?
You just had it yesterday,
little piggy.
[Ae-sun groans, chuckles]
[Gye-ok sighs]
It's cute.
[Ae-sun chuckles]
[camera shutter clicks]
[Geum-myeong] Mom,
what were you thinking with that hat?
Were they punishing you or something?
[feel-good jazz music playing]
"THE SAME SKY, THE SAME STARS,
ETCHED IN THE SAME HEARTS."
[music ends]